Survival of the Eric
by CerberAsta
Summary: Souls have been shattered. Corruption is rampant, but there is always a silver lining, a light at the end of the tunnel. Whether all of them will grasp this lifeline is in the hands of fate, now...
1. Breakaway

_**BReakaway**_

_**Wiggy. I figured Three would be my last F29D fanfic, largely because I had zero inspiration or ideas for it. Lo and behold, I'm working on my "big" fanfiction, the Dark Conquest series, when I get to thinking about the big conflict at the end of F29D, which kicked off for the movie.**_

_**Well, I'm twisting it in a different way. What would happen if they discovered the chicken, but Melissa hadn't been diverted back to the camp?**_

_**Some of them were more carnivorous than others, after all...**_

**F29D - means a Scene Break**

_Thought/Camera Bit_

**F29D**

Jackson and Nathan sat around the camp fire, stoking it a bit. It was early morning. As in, the sun hadn't risen, early. They had an egg cooking before them. In accordance with the schedule, it was Nathan's turn to eat an egg.

"So, why'd you get up so early?" Nathan asked.

"I always wake up early, to make sure someone doesn't try anything," Jackson replied, "you?"

Nathan scraped the egg off the make-shift skillet onto a make-shift plate. Fortunately, he had an actual fork.

"To get my egg, dude. Been waiting for this for a week," Nathan said, with a feral smile.

He dug into his egg with glee. Jackson snickered a few seconds. Nathan savored every bite of his egg, until he was finished.

"It was good of you to volunteer to wait until everyone else had an egg before you got one," Jackson said.

"Eh. It was a spur of the moment, "why not?" deal."

"All the same, I appreciate it. I'll have to make it up to you, at some point."

"Someone's getting up."

After some minor rustling, Eric clumsily stepped out of his tent. He sort of staggered to one side, then, focused and determined, walked over to the fire.

"Hey, boy scouts. What 'choo guys up so early for?" he asked.

Jackson and Nathan looked at each other, bemused. Nathan knew who Jackson really meant when he said "someone".

"I was going ahead and getting my egg, so I could enjoy it before chores start. Jackson was up to his usual mysterious non-rich kid activites," Nathan joked.

Jackson and Nathan chuckled lowly, then bumped fists. Eric shook his head, looked up at the sprouts of sunlight, then back at the guys.

"Anyone else getting tired of our usual diet?" he asked.

"Meh. It's healthy," Jackson shrugged.

"The only meat is the occasional fish. Personally, I'm a meat and potatoes kind of guy," Eric said.

Nathan sniggered.

"What?" Eric asked.

"A meat and potatoes guy? You? You are no football player, dude," Nathan laughed.

"And you've got the build of a pop star, so hush. What I'm sayin' is, we should get some actual meat," Eric snapped.

"Pop star?" Nathan demanded.

"Actual meat? Like what? The chicken? The answer is no, Eric," Jackson said.

"Oh, come on, Jackson. When's the last time you had a thing of fried chicken? Now, admittedly, we can't exactly fry it, but even I'd take a simple, pot-cooked chicken. It sounds good, don't it?" Eric replied.

"We voted, Eric. The chicken stays, until we hit hard times. That means three days of no food. Just wanting something different doesn't cut it," Jackson replied.

Eric's pupils dilated. His muscles tensed. Jackson and he held a fierce glaring contest. After ten seconds, Eric returned back to normal. The dangerousness in his being had surfaced for a few seconds, but it had dived again. Jackson and Nathan looked at him with some suspicion as he walked back to his tent.

_This is bullshit. They don't want to man up and actually do something. They just want to keep doing the normal. Guess what? I'm sick and tired of it. The chores. Dealing with those jerks. I'm sick of it. I'm not going to put up with it. And I know just what to do._

_-Diary of Eric_

**F29D**

Later that morning, Jackson watched Eric carefully as he came out of his tent again, yawning. Eric sat down at the campfire area, where everyone besides Nathan and Jackson were eating, since they had already eaten. Eric scooped up a piece of seaweed and a coconut, sat down, and dug in, calmly. That feral look he had displayed seemed like a dream to those who saw it. It couldn't have happened.

"So, Lex, got any ideas rattling around in that head of yours?" Daley asked.

"We've got pretty much everything we need. I mean, maybe we could use a light to try and attract ships, but I dunno..." Lex trailed off.

"What about hunting?" Eric said, suddenly.

"Why would we hunt?" Jackson asked.

"For something beyond the same old, same old. Our food sources might run out, et cetera, et cetera. The list could go on, and I'll bet Brainy McGenius could explain them all a lot better than I could," Eric replied, pointing at Lex.

"Brainy McGenius?" Lex asked, indignantly.

"We're not hunting. It's too dangerous," Daley replied.

"Really? I recall hearing that you two had done it, successfully... Until the end, when you wussed out. Can't be too hard, then, eh?" Eric asked.

"Hey, we had our reasons," Nathan said.

"Oh, please. Save your excuses for someone who will put up with 'em," Eric replied.

"We couldn't just kill a living animal," Daley muttered.

"What was that? Kill a living animal? You mean, the same way Jackson and Taylor kill fish so easily? Screw it. I'm going hunting. Anyone gonna' help?" he asked, standing up.

No one else stood up.

"Jackson?"

"No."

"Figures. Nathan? Daley? Lex?"

"Screw you, Eric. Lex is just 10. And we've already promised not to kill anything unless we have to," Nathan snapped.

"I don't even need to ask you, Melissa. No, am I right?"

Melissa nodded.

Eric's annoyance was visible.

"Taylor?"

Taylor shook her head. Eric's eyes widened.

"Excuse me? Taylor, I thought we had each other's backs. I thought we actually... Guess I was wrong."

"Eric..."

Eric turned around and headed for his tent.

"I'm sorry..."

Eric said nothing as he pulled out his sack, already packed. He snatched up one of the pre-carved spears, then headed into the woods.

Everyone looked around for a few moments, trying to avoid each other's eyes.

"That idiot. He'll be back," Jackson finally said.

"Maybe we should've stood by him?" Melissa wondered.

"I know Eric pretty well. He'll probably give up in a day, maybe two. Then, we can shove a whole bunch of guilt on him, and make him do a whole lot more chores," Nathan said.

"What if something happens to him? He's going to be all alone out there," Daley said.

"If he's smart, he'll try to stay close to camp. But, of course, since this is Eric, he probably won't. Dumbass," Jackson spat.

"Why are you so hard on him?" Taylor asked.

Jackson stared at her for a few seconds.

"Well?" Taylor demanded.

Jackson rolled his eyes.

"Do you want me to read off the list?" Lex said.

"You have a list?" Daley asked.

"No, but I can make one really quick, based on what everything he's done," Lex replied.

_Okay. I know Eric has been a bit of a jerk at times. But, seriously, it's just... we're both spoiled, rich brats. I know that. He knows that. I got over it... He... didn't. He couldn't, I guess. Eric has a lot going on, that he's only told me about. I know it doesn't completely excuse everything he's done, but... they were being way too harsh on him._

_-Diary of Taylor_

"He's screwed up a few times, but he's still our friend," Taylor said.

She looked around at solemn faces.

"Or is he?" she asked, fiercely.

No one answered.

"Am I the only one concerned for Eric? I... I can't _believe_ you. Any of you. He's still human, just like all of us. He's made mistakes, but _no one_ here hasn't. Nathan, you thought Jackson was just an unpredictable outsider. Jackson, you were stupid enough to drink unpurified water. Lex, you've stolen from us. Daley, you were so busy being an arrogant bitch that you would've lead us into the ground if Jackson hadn't taken over! Melissa, yeah, even you've screwed up! The way you look at me sometimes, you seem to think I'm trying to get in Jackson's pants just to spite you! Guess what? I'm _not._ And you hate him? Because he's a jerk sometimes?" Taylor shouted.

Taylor screamed in frustration and stomped off, not towards the woods, but to the other side of the beach.

"Happy fun time," Jackson groaned, as he walked off to do his share of the chores.

The day was not promising.

**End of Chapter One**


	2. Rough Beginnings

_**Rough Beginnings**_

* * *

_**Wiggy. I didn't think I was all that funny last chapter. Though I do appreciate that several people did, and that most people caught the reference to Corbin's popstar career. Heh.**_

_**I was tempted to cut this chapter in half and just post a chapter faster, but I figured I'd tough it out, so I could try and get in the habit of posting a whole day at a time. Updates will be slower this way, but they'll be much larger. If you'd prefer faster, smaller updates... sorry. **_**:P**

_**I made several typos in this. On the second go-around, I noticed many of them and corrected them, but I found one quite amusing.**_

"Melissa turned away from him, as she set back to feeling up her water jugs."

I'm a horrible person, but I found that _hysterical._

_**There's a shout-out to my favorite reviewer in this chapter. She's an awesome writer, so check out her stuff.**_

_**I doubt that there are actually Chokers on the island, but it's never been stated to the contrary, and it's possible since it was a military settlement. However, WHY they would plant Chokers is beyond me. Chicken food, maybe?**_

_**I need to practice in this fandom more. If I forget about a character, or just don't include one as much as you'd like in a chapter, please tell me. I'll try to include that character in a little more. I'm sure that there are lot of mini-plots I can use along the way to the end of this tale.**_

_**No promises, though. The title IS Survival of the Eric, after all.**_

_**Hrm... Methinks the rating should go up, what with all the very emphasized f-bombs. Readers? What do you think?**_

* * *

_**Woods...**_

Eric paced through the woods, adjusting to the rough footing after a few minor trips and stumbles. He was trying his hardest to focus on the task at hand, rather than what he'd just done. No matter what, though, he heard nothing but Taylor's apology ringing in his head. Eric hit his head, muttering curses and wishes of forgetfulness. After around an hour of his walking, he finally sat down against a tree.

"Hate everything. I could use some help. I mean, it's not like what I asked was unreasonable. Argh. Stupid people. Hate 'em."

Eric grumbled for a few moments, before he finally shook his head, clearing it of his dark thoughts.

"Okay... I need... to try to buckle down. I'm going to survive out here, even if it kills me. Wait. I'm going to survive out here, no matter what. Yeah. Screw you, Jackson. I'm a hardcore survivor. Okay, so the first thing I need is shelter from rain and stuff. Hmmm..."

He looked around for a few minutes, before finding a stick. He thought for a moment, then cleared away some brush and started scratching out plans in the dirt. There were several patterns, mostly of logs, limbs, and note about leaves.

"I think that should work. Dunno why it wouldn't," Eric mumbled.

With a plan in his head, Eric set off for the right logs.

_**Beachside...**_

Jackson walked alongside the beach, Taylor beside him. They had their fishing poles out, and were currently searching for the usual spot. After a few more moments of walking, they finally stopped and cast their lines out into the farther-away shallows.

"Hey... I'm sorry about what happened. I know Eric means a lot to you," Jackson said.

Taylor stayed silent, to Jackson's dismay.

They dragged their lines about a little here and there, but they didn't get a bite for a while.

"It's alright, Jackson."

Silence reigned again for a few moments, before it was broken.

"Does Melissa seriously think you're trying to get to second base with me?"

"Unfortunately. She's got it all wrong, too."

"I almost feel insulted."

"Get over it. You're not tapping this anytime soon."

"Interesting phrasing."

"Kiss my ass, Jackson."

Jackson smirked at the obvious joke that he felt _compelled_ to make. And so he did.

"I'm getting mixed signals here."

"You know what I mean."

Jackson chuckled, before nodding.

_I figured Taylor would be pissed about the Eric Breakaway incident. sigh Well, I'm glad she's fine. I hope that we can both explain to Melissa that Taylor isn't after me._

_- Diary of Jackson_

_**Fireside...**_

Melissa was always a good person. It was a self-imposed vow that she would do her best to help humanity. It was an instinct to help anyone she saw who needed it. This instinct led to Jackson coming along. It led to doing everything she could to keep the camp running. Her soft attitude had been taken advantage of by Eric and Taylor both, but she refused to truly harden up. It would always be that way.

Or so she hoped. Unfortunately, even she knew she had become somewhat colder in recent days. She wished she could be nice to everyone, but Taylor just rubbed her the wrong way. It was alright at first, because they could get over their differences by necessity. But now... with Jackson, it was just too hard.

_She did say she wasn't trying to get in Jackson's pants just to spite me... Wait. Was she not trying to spite me or was she not trying to... urgh. Why can't I just deal with this? I know Jackson likes me. He said so himself. We just can't... date. It's bad for the camp. I know that. He knows that. So then... why this pain? Why?_

_- Diary of Melissa_

Melissa Wu sat by the fire, stoking it for a moment before setting off for the springs with her empty jug. When she returned, she found Taylor sitting by the fire, filling up the water bottles. Jackson came walking up to the fire with a few fish in hand.

"Here's the catch for now," Jackson said.

Eric's words reverberated through Melissa's head for a moment. Well... it's all right, right? Fish... just don't seem as human as pigs and other things. That made it bearable, anyways.

Melissa sat down opposite Taylor, then proceeded to dump as much of the water into the boiling pot that she could, which was around a quarter of the jug. Jackson sat the fish down on a metal slat that had been salvaged and sanitized by Lex a while back. Melissa picked up the empty water jug, when Jackson grabbed her arm.

"Melissa, can we talk?" Jackson asked.

"Not... not right now, please."

Melissa wanted nothing more than to sink into the sand and flee from her existence. Jackson wanted to talk... maybe this would be her saving grace? But no, she couldn't help but desire nothing more than to focus on the task at hand, if geokinesis was out.

"Alright, we'll talk later than," Jackson said, backing off and letting her go.

"Yeah..."

Melissa walked quickly into the woods, with the intent to spend a while at the spring. Jackson sighed and sat down by the fire. Taylor looked at him for a moment, then coughed as conspicuously as possible.

"Yeah?" Jackson asked.

"Go after her."

"She said later."

"Ugh. When girls say 'later', it's a test, that means 'do it right now if you actually like me'. Jesus H. Christ, you guys are so thick," Taylor groaned.

"H?" asked a very confused Jackson.

"Hallowed."

"Of course. Hallowed be thy name."

"Exactly. Now go before I scald you."

Jackson took in a deep breath before plunging into the woods.

_**Plane Camp...**_

Daley had been given the job of keeping the chicken, and Lex was to help her. Both were given side jobs of helping Nathan if necessary, with the additional job of hammering out new gizmos to make life easier. Nathan, meanwhile, was given the job of forager, temporarily. They had run low on grown foods (see: they had _nothing_ left), so Nathan had to get more. Unfortunately, their stockpile that grew from the ground was in short supply.

So... Nathan had resorted to the old "climb to get fruit or die horribly" method.

"Ya' know, I'm sure there's an easier method to doing that," Daley said.

"Duly noted. Now shut up."

Nathan was currently gripping the tree tightly, with a rope tying his feet and hands together. He shimmied slowly upwards, which was an interesting sight.

"Maybe a boomerang would help?" Lex wondered.

"That's great. Please stop talking."

He was within a foot of some fruit. It was a banana, he thought. Of course, he didn't really trust his sight, and he was scared so bad he couldn't really process much beyond: "thar be treasure, yarrrr".

Okay, it wasn't exactly that, but I'm celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day late. Sue me.

"Do you think we should make a boomerang?" Lex wondered.

"We could try," Daley said, "What would we need?"

"A log, so we can have a bunch of wood to practice with."

"Ah. Well, that'd be simple."

"Sarcasm on auto-pilot again?"

"I'm a teenager, Lex. My sarcasm is _always_ on auto-pilot."

Nathan didn't bother telling them to shut up with their word-talking, as he was bound to have actually said, I'm sure, because he couldn't hear them. The world was swimming a bit at the corner of his sight. He knew he was higher now than ever before, and it was catching up to him. Panic had begun to seize him. He barely managed to grab the banana bunch, before screaming as he almost dropped. The bananas slipped from his grasp and fell upon the ground, splattering in an illustration of what would happen if he had done the same.

Daley and Lex snapped to their feet about two seconds before they figured out an actual scream had been heard.

"Nathan!" they shouted at around the same time.

"I'm fine...ish."

"Come on down before you die!" Lex shouted.

"I...I can't!"

"Why not?" Daley asked.

"I dunno! My legs won't cooperate!"

"Well, make 'em!" Lex shouted.

"I'm _fucking _trying, damn it! I'm scared up here, and I can't _fucking_ move, so shut the _fuck_ up, Lex!"

Before Lex and Daley could finish gaping at the string of curses that had come from a _very_ scared Nathan, Taylor had run up to the tree.

"What's happening? I heard Nathan scream. What's happening?" Taylor asked, looking around.

"He's stuck up in the tree and can't move for fright," Daley said.

"Argh. I dunno. What can we do?" Taylor asked.

"Make him less scared?" Daley asked.

"Get me the _fuck_ down from here!"

"Unnecessary cursing!" Lex finally choked out.

"I feel it's very _fucking _necessary as I'm probably going to die!"

"Not helping!" screamed a panicked Daley.

Nathan pressed himself tightly against the tree, grinding out a steady stream of curses as silently as possible. It was quite obvious he had a dilemma with fate, the general populus of mothers, and possibly dogs. Oh, and he apparently figured trees were quite promiscuous.

"Taylor, argh, get back to your post. I'll try to talk him down from there, slowly," Daley said.

Taylor nodded, then whirled around and set off. Lex looked around for something to help out his half-sister with.

"Think... Think... Think!" Lex murmured to himself.

No, he didn't get a brain blast. Instead, Daley did.

"Nathan, I'll French kiss you if you come down from there."

Lex gaped at her in shock, and Nathan felt fresh blood pumping through him again with a surge in hormones. Closing his eyes, he began to shuffle down the tree. His mind had focused in completely on Daley. The fear had left his body in that moment, and he seized upon the thing in his mind that had shuffled it out.

_Daley... Daley... Daley's lips... Daley's tongue..._

It continued in that manner. What can I say? He has a Y chromosome. He can't be blamed, really. After a stupidly long three minutes, Nathan touched the ground again. He placed one hand against the tree, steadying himself as he heaved. He fell to his knees, prompting Lex and Daley to run to his aid. They helped him to his feet.

"I am never touching one of those fucking trees again."

Why, yes, I have counted how many times the f-bomb has been dropped. Six times so far! I'm going for a record, clearly.

After a few minutes, Nathan was sitting at the fire, while Daley and Lex were gathering the good bananas and trying to figure out where to get wood for a boomerang. Lex had drawn up plans in the dirt, and Daley was busy trying to get a knife.

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

Eric walked towards his proclaimed settlement, which had several dozen logs, all of which had been stacked against one another, using a tree as a base to prop up the first one, and so on. He dragged another large log, grunting. He set it against the other logs, trying to set up a wall in a different direction now. It fell against the log too hard, knocking it over. That caused the rest to fall in various ways.

A stream of obscenities poured from the blonde boy's mouth. He calmed down after a good ten minutes of cursing and kicking at the air. Growling, he prowled through the woods, looking for something. Anything. To his surprise and immediate annoyance and pain, he tripped and hit the earth hard. A short burst of obscenities later, he was staring at what tripped him. It was a long green, rope-like... vine.

A grin spread slowly across his face.

"Oh _hell_ yes."

He turned towards the sky.

"Thank you, man! Snoogens!"

So, with a Grinchy smile on his face and _Jay & Silent Bob _references in mind, Eric darted off, grabbing vines on his back to the logs.

_**Spring...**_

With his feet crunching in the leaves, Jackson was on the opposite end of the spectrum from Solid Snake, which meant that Melissa wasn't surprised in the slightest when he showed up.

"Melissa... I really want to talk."

"Jackson..."

Melissa turned away from him, as she set back to filling up her water jugs. Jackson kneeled next to her.

"I just wanted you to know that there's nothing going on between me and Taylor. We're friends, yeah, but that's because we're stuck on an island together. There's some law that dictate that when people are in a traumatic situation that they bond. But we're not taking it any further than friend, because that's all we want to be."

Melissa turned towards Jackson, her face desperate.

"Don't talk down to me, Jackson! I've seen you together! I've heard you talking at times. I tried to ignore it, but I _couldn't_. You opened up to her the way I wish you would've opened up to me. She says she didn't even try. But here I am, trying desperately... Maybe that was the problem. I tried too hard. I loved you too much. Now, I don't know what to do."

Jackson felt like he had just been ripped open. Every word she said cut him deeper and deeper, because it was true. He _had_ opened up to Taylor, despite Melissa's various attempts. If he actually liked her, he should've done the same.

"I never should've... No. I should've realized... how much it hurt you. I'm so sorry, Melissa."

"Just go."

"But-"

"Please. Jackson, just go away."

"Mel-"

"If you love me, you will leave me alone right now. I just want to think and do my job. I can't... I can't deal with anything else right now. Please. Go."

Jackson sighed sadly, before turning around and walking off. Melissa waited until she couldn't hear the crunching leaves anymore before she let out a gasping sob. The tears streamed freely and Melissa permitted them to fall.

_**Campfire...**_

After an hour or so, the sun indicated it was noon, and thus the 29ers prepared to eat. Everyone gathered at the fire, and Daley handed out bananas with some fish and seaweed.

Nathan was busy silently thanking every deity he had ever heard of for everything he could think of as he chowed down. Near-death experiences do that.

Taylor and Melissa were sitting not-quite-opposite of one another, so they could be far away from one another, while not having to look at one another. It was Melissa's initiative that caused this, as she had sat down after Taylor. Jackson knew to avoid her for a little while, so he did something similar. The atmosphere was somewhat tense as a whole because of the obvious lack of talking between those three.

Lex, Daley, and Nathan talked a little bit here and there, and the other three responded to questions, but the morning had been too rough for any active and friendly conversation to take place.

"Okay, we got a log, fortunately. Daley, have gotten a knife?" Lex asked.

"Hey Jackson, you got a knife?" Daley asked.

"Yeah, here," Jackson said, tossing a large metal handle lightly towards Daley.

She caught and flipped it open, revealing a pocketknife that was about 6 inches long.

"Jesus H. Christ, Jackson, this is practically a dagger."

"Streets are rough. I've pulled that on a few people in self-defense a few more times than you'd think one should have to. I haven't been force to actually use it, but I bet I will be one day."

Melissa shook violently for a moment, facing down. She wiped her face, inconspicuously, before setting back to her meal. Everyone noticed her pain, but no one commented on it, out of respect.

"That's awful, Jackson," Daley said.

"That's life. Love it or die."

Daley, still shaking her head in sorrow, pocketed the knife.

"Alright then. We can make a boomerang soon. Then, we won't have to offer Nathan up to the gods of luck and trees to get fruit," Daley said, snickering.

"Amen to that," Nathan declared.

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

Eric held his stomach, which was growling quite loudly. He groaned in hunger, as he looked through the woods for something resembling food. He found a bush with red berries, which he grabbed at in desperation, shoveling down as many berries as he could, without giving a thought to whether they were safe to eat or not.

His hunger was sated, and so he lay back for a few minutes, before he finally set off to work on his shelter again.

_**Campfire...**_

With lunchtime having passed, it would be pointless to fish, as there was no way they could actually preserve them for more than two hours. So, Melissa was back to boiling water, while Taylor took the water jugs back and forth.

There was an obvious problem with that, if you didn't realize.

During one of her trips to the spring, Jackson joined Taylor for her walk, to give a quick report.

"Daley and Lex made a boomerang, and Nathan is getting practice with it. Daley is thinking of something else we need, and Lex is thinking of something else we can invent, until Daley gives him something specific to do."

"Cool. How'd it go with Melissa?" Taylor asked, as she sat down at the spring.

"Not good at all. I opened up to you and not her. You didn't try, but she did. She just wants to her job and not deal with anything else right now, so she told me to leave her alone. I tried apologizing, but she just can't deal with it right now," Jackson said, sadly.

Taylor waited a few moments before she changed to the other water jug, before replying.

"Oh, that is bull."

"Taylor, promise me you won't do anything about this. I need to figure this out on my own."

Taylor stared at the jug until it was filled. She capped them both and stood up.

"Jackson, I promise you _nothing,_" she said, with a devilish grin.

"Taylor, I'm serious."

"So am I."

Taylor, her water jugs now filled, took off for the fire.

"Jackson, go back to Daley and Lex! This is between me and Melissa!"

Jackson, chasing after her, heard her words and grit his teeth.

"Taylor, damn it, knock it off!" he called out in response.

But, in the end, Jackson was slower, less agile, and didn't have the head start, so Taylor dashed into the fire area, slowed down, set down the water jugs, and sat down beside Melissa. Jackson erupted from the woods, but found he was too late.

"Taylor, there are more empty water jugs," Melissa said, a tad more chilled than normal.

"Jackson, go help Nathan with the boomerang. I owe Melissa a little _chat_."

Jackson ground his teeth in frustration, before setting off.

"What the hell, Taylor?" Melissa asked, confused and annoyed at the recent development.

"Funny. I could ask the same thing. You're bitching because Jackson opened up to a friend who happens to be a girl? Fine. I can understand it. But he came to you and apologized. He doesn't like me that way, and I don't like _him_ that way, either. So, I'd suggest you accept his apology before I bitch slap you into next week."

"Excuse me?" Melissa asked, indignant.

"I could demand that you and Jackson kiss and make up, but since you don't want to date, ditch the kiss part of that. He's tried to make up with you. If you love him, you'll accept his apology, apologize for being an idiot about it, and go on your happy way."

With that, Taylor took two empty water jugs and bolted into the woods. Melissa didn't get a chance to talk to her long, and what time she did have with the blonde was wasted, as Taylor ignored anything she said.

So, Melissa was left to her thoughts, most of which consisted of a mental battle over whether or not to apologize. In the end, Taylor's argument won out. Now, she just had to wait for a chance to talk with the loner of a sort.

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

Eric felt the sudden clench in his stomach when he was preparing to tie up the final wall of his shelter. After that would be the roof, and it would be complete. He remembered the feeling. It had washed up on him in a hurry at his twelfth birthday party, because of the ice cream cake. Needless to say, he never ate cake again. Ice cream was still iffy with him, even now. Frosting of any kind made him feel sick.

He backed up, causing the fourth wall to tilt a little bit, obvious wobbly, and fell to his knees, groaning. A few moments later, the contents of his stomach were splattered over the forest floor, and he was groaning in his misery.

Eric spat out anything that hadn't been completely projected, alongside a few curses. He looked at the bush upon which the berries had grown. He raised a very profane finger to it, swearing to _never_ eat those again.

He groaned as he looked at the wall.

"Don't you fuckin' do it, author."

And so, the fourth wall fell. Eric groaned again.

"Hate you, Asta! Melreincarn isn't this mean to me!"

_**That's because she's a good person. Now, DANCE PUPPET, DANCE!**_

"I hate working for psychos."

And for that, Eric was rendered mute for the rest of the day. YAY.

_**Camp Fire...**_

Several hours had passed, and the day with it. Fruit had been gathered and was currently being eaten. Nathan got the hand of the boomerang after a few hours, so everyone had a few fruits each. It was enough, and it was good.

"With that boomerang, we definitely won't have to worry about a lack of food for a really long time. Jackson did a little scouting and told me that the island has enough fruit trees within close range that are bearing fruit now that we don't have to even think about moving for about four months, according to my calculations."

"Good. So, Eric was being _really_ stupid when he left," Nathan said.

Everyone besides Taylor chuckled at that.

A few moments later, Melissa tugged at Jackson's arm, standing up. He took it as a signal, indicating "let's go". He nodded, walking with her towards another area of the beach. The others noticed that, but refrained from commenting.

"I... thought about what you and Taylor said. And... I want to apologize, Jackson. I shouldn't have shoved you away, like I did. Can you... can you forgive me?" Melissa asked.

Jackson nodded, smiling, "of course."

Melissa clasped her hand in his, enjoying his touch, enjoying the closeness, if only for a moment.

_**Eric's Settlement**_

It had taken him about two hours to fully get over the vomiting. He thought about the roof, but decided to ditch one for the time being. So, he had set off through the woods. An hour or so later, he came back with a banana bunch in tow.

He tore one off, peeled it and ate it. His stomach was still a little messed up, so one was enough for him. With his stomach full, and a hard day's work behind him, Eric fell into a hard sleep.

**End of Chapter Two**


	3. Another Day, Another Breakdown

_**Another Day, Another Breakdown**_

_**Or**_

_**In which Eric is likened to a Seussian Character**_

* * *

_**I'd like to thank Serendipity545 for this chapter, and YOU SHOULD TOO. Unless you are she, in which case, pat yourself on the back!**_

_**The marvelous Melreincarn also gets a shout-out, as she is now my official co-author for this thing. And that's AWESOME.**_

_**Heh. I realized I'd made a few errors in the last chapter, and I left out a brief scene between Jackson & Melissa, in which Melissa apologizes. Blargh. It's been fixed, if you're wondering.**_

_**Oh, and I don't know if any of them have watches, but let's pretend they do, kay? And, yeah, the tents and fire are probably in the same area, but I DON'T CARE I'M THE AUTHOR SO SHHHHHHHHHH. Also, I'm a guy, so any information in here that's innaccurate and concering Taylor is my having a Y Chromosome. Kay?**_

_**Finally, I don't know, nor do I particularly which compass direction you'd have to go from the beach to Eric's settlement. You'll find out why this is "important" in a minute.**_

* * *

_**Camp Fire...**_

* * *

The 29ers woke up, bright and early, to a new day of the same old, same old.

"Have you set up a light, Lex?" Daley asked.

"Not enough time. Boomerang sucked up most of yesterday. After that... I forgot. I'll work on that after breakfast."

"I'll set off with the boomerang. Daley? You gonna' help?" Nathan asked.

"Sure thing. I'll try it out. Which of you three is on water duty?" Daley asked.

"I am," Taylor said, before Melissa or Jackson could speak up, "Melissa and Jackson will fish for today."

Jackson and Melissa looked at her, vaguely confused, but grateful on the whole.

"My watch says it's 7:46. We won't be needing fish for a while. Start at around 10. Lunch will be at noon, I guess," Daley said.

"So, we'll help Taylor until around 10?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah. Got your watch synced? It should say 7:47."

Melissa clicked a button on her watch a few times, "got it."

Breakfast was uneventful after that, and they set off for the chores, happier with the general situation now.

* * *

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

* * *

Every 29er on the beach loved this day a lot, but poor Eric, who lived just to the north of the 29ers... did _not_.

First off, he awoke to retching, courtesy of the last few dregs of those Chokers he had eaten. After a few minutes, during which he horfed up the banana he'd eaten, he wiped his mouth and started setting up a few things. First, he thought of things he needed. The biggest was a steady supply of food. The banana bunch he had would have to suffice for now. In the meantime, well, time for a latrine.

Unfortunately, he had no digging tools. He cursed lowly, before setting off. Time for a quick visit to his old home.

* * *

_**Campfire...**_

* * *

"Hey, Taylor, you alright?" Jackson.

"Yeah, I'm _fine_, it's why I'm groaning and holding my stomach."

"Jebas, Taylor, take a Midol, or something."

"Oh, shit, you did _not_ just..."

Taylor gasped.

"What?" Jackson asked.

"I _knew_ this was happening... I just didn't realize..."

"What?"

"It's my _fucking period_, Jackson, _shut up_!" Taylor half-screamed.

Jackson nodded, then took a water jug and walked off. Melissa watched with some concern, as she filled up water bottles with the boiled water.

"Hey, Taylor, did you bring... ya' know... pads and stuff?" Melissa asked.

"No... I only brought cosmetics... I wasn't due for my period until well after the trip was over, ya' know," Taylor growled.

"Well, fortunately for you, I was due, and I just went ahead and brought a full pack along with a thing of Mydol. It's in my tent, in the red satchel," Melissa said.

"Melissa, you are a goddess," Taylor said, as she took off for camp.

* * *

_**Tent Area...**_

* * *

Eric ducked and rolled behind several trees, and eventually made it behind a tent. Of course, his knowledge of spies came from Hollywood, which meant that he made far more noise than Tom Cruise did in Mission Impossible. Substantially less than his "ZOMG I IZ EXCITED SO I'MMA JUMP ON DA COUCH" moment, but that's a given.

He looked out from behind a tree, to see the tents all sitting around like golden treasures. It was nice to see them again, but he had a job to do. That's when Taylor strolled up. Eric ducked behind the tree, and Taylor heard the rustle.

"Who's there?" Taylor demanded, "Come on out!"

She picked up a large stick, one that Jackson was going to use for a spear. She headed for the tent Melissa had indicated, cautiously.

"I'm on my period, and I've got a stick, so get out here, _right now_!" Taylor shouted.

"Don't hurt me!" Eric shouted, getting out from behind the tree.

"Eric!?" Taylor demanded.

"Shhhhh!" Eric hissed.

"Why are you here?" Taylor asked, "Are you coming back for good?"

"_Hell_ no, I'm just looting a shovel..." Eric whispered.

"Oh? Lemme getcha' one, mm'kay?" Taylor said, happily.

Eric refrained from commenting on the mood change. He'd been around Taylor on her period frequently. He was used to it. Taylor dug through the tent, and slipped on the necessary evil known as a pad, then got a Midol, which she pocketed, to later take with water. She picked up a shovel and walked outside.

"Can you please stay?" Taylor asked, handing him the shovel.

"I'll have this back when I finish my latrine," Eric said.

"Come on, Eric, I want you to stay," Taylor pursued.

"Why don't you come with me?" Eric asked.

"Eric, please, listen to reason," Taylor pleaded.

"I can't, alright. This split should've happened long ago, but it didn't. If you want to come with me... I'd really like that, but otherwise, bye Taylor," Eric said.

Taylor held him close in a hug, sobbing lightly. Eric was surprised, but hugged her back, stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry, Taylor, but... I've got to, alright?"

"I don't want you to... please..."

Eric whispered several more apologies, before separating himself from Taylor and rushing off into the woods. Taylor watched him go, crying still. She fell to her knees and covered her face, sobbing furiously.

* * *

_**Campfire...**_

* * *

"Hey, Jackson, you think Taylor's alright?" Melissa asked.

"She should be. I mean, she's about as alright as a girl on her period, but ya' know..." Jackson trailed off.

"It's been ten minutes. It should only take about five minutes to go there, get on a pad, grab a pill, and get back here. I'm worried," Melissa said.

"I can't go. I don't want to be there if she's in the middle of slipping on a pad," Jackson said.

Melissa nodded, then got up.

"Go ahead and get another jug... I'll go," she said.

Jackson nodded, grabbed an empty jug, and then headed on into the woods.

* * *

_**Tent Area...**_

* * *

Melissa walked into the tent area, cautiously, looking around. She saw Taylor sitting on the ground, dabbing at her eyes now.

"Taylor, you alright?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah... I'm fine," Taylor said.

"Taylor... you've been crying..." Melissa said, softly, kneeling beside her.

Taylor nodded.

"What's the matter? Can I help?" Melissa asked.

"It's this... stupid island! We were all such good friends, then we crashed here, and good life and good relations got shattered! Now, Eric's off somewhere, we've all strained in relationships, we're fighting for our _fucking lives_ every damn day, and now, on top of all of _that_, I'm on my period! What else?" Taylor vented.

"I know... it's horrible, but we've got to move passed it. Okay? Now, come on, I've got some water you can use to swallow that Midol with," Melissa said.

She helped Taylor to her feet, and then the pair walked back to the water area. The day was looking up again, if only slightly.

* * *

_**Border of the Woods...**_

* * *

Lex took a few practice swinging motions with the boomerang, trying to figure out just how aerodynamic it was. Daley and Nathan sat on a large log, watching Lex. Well, Daley was watching Lex. Nathan kept glancing back at Daley.

"So, maybe we should cut the edges a little sharper? Make sure it could cut the fruit down and not just make it... ya' know... move a little," Lex suggested.

"That'd be a good idea," Daley said.

"We'll get Jackson to cut it later on. We just gotta make sure we don't cut ourselves when using it," Nathan added.

Lex nodded and tossed the boomerang. It went in a circular motion around twenty feet, then wobbled and crashed about ten feet from where Lex was standing.

"I'd say that was pretty good," Daley noted.

"Hey... uhh... Daley?" Nathan started.

Lex picked up the boomerang, then turned to the couple.

"Where should I aim it?" he asked.

Daley looked at Nathan for a moment, then looked back to Lex. She searched the trees and pointed at a random fruit.

"Where is it?" Lex asked.

"Come here," Daley said, indicating it with a motion of her finger.

Lex walked to her and faced the other way. Daley grabbed his hand, made it point, then aimed it at the fruit she had seen earler, a banana. Lex nodded, then took several steps forward, reared back, and threw the boomerang.

"Yes, Nathan?" Daley asked.

"You had said that I could have a... ya' know... French...?" Nathan trailed off.

Daley's mouth went dry. That had been a spur of the moment idea to get him to come down. It wasn't serious. He wasn't supposed to take it serious! But then... why not?

"Umm... yeah. Sure. You can, whenever you want to," Daley said, nervously.

Nathan's face brightened a little, then returned to the nervous face it had been before. He gently cupped Daley's face and slowly leaned in towards her. Lex saw the boomerang come towards him, but its path was a little off. He wasn't sure if he could catch it. He had a moment of panic, in which he ducked and rolled to the side. The boomerang kept twirling and spinning on its normal path.

_THWACK!_

"SONUVA- WOAH!"

Nathan fell off the log, back into the bush. He muttered various "ow's" as held his head where the boomerang hit it. He threw the boomerang over the log, _very_ tempted to smash it. Lex cracked up, while Daley smiled down at him.

"Sorry, Nathan, sorry..." Lex sputtered out, still laughing.

Daley giggled a little bit, while Nathan righted himself.

"Alright, have your little laugh, ha ha ha ha," Nathan muttered darkly.

"We will; thank you."

"Yeah, go ahead, push it to the limit," Nathan growled.

"Hey, we're in it to win it," Daley replied, again, smirking.

The remarks ceased at Lex threw the boomerang again, this time hitting the fruit precisely. Its connection to the small tree snapped and fell down to the ground. Lex rushed to the fruit and picked it up. The banana was a little flattened by the fall, and it was dirty, but Lex didn't care. He brushed it off, peeled off some, and bit down.

The fruits of one's labors taste so much better than the fruits of others.

* * *

_**Campfire...**_

* * *

"Alright, it's 9:54. Let's go ahead and get fishing stuff," Jackson said, "Come on, Melissa."

Melissa smiled and walked off with him. Taylor watched the two walk off, smiling slightly. She finished boiling off the water, then put it in the bottles. One bottle, which she had laid her own personal claim upon, was sitting beside her, half-filled. She took several more sips from it, before pouring more unsanitary water into the pot. She had all her jugs filled, except for the one she was currently tapping for water. It was obvious she would be boiling for a little while.

* * *

_**Beach, Fishing Site...**_

* * *

"So, what's the latest?" Jackson asked.

"I think I can actually breathe easy, with that Taylor and you thing..." Melissa said.

"Well, that's good," Jackson said.

He got the fishing rods of a sort ready, latching the earrings on as lures. He handed one to Melissa, and cast his.

"So, whose earrings?" Melissa asked.

"Taylor's. She lent them to me for fishing, though I doubt she'll want them back."

"Wow. Didn't know she could part with her jewelry."

"She didn't really exude that particular ability at the beginning, did she?"

"She wanted me to be punished because I accidentally ruined one of her many shirts."

"Yeah... not one of her best moments."

Melissa chuckled lightly, and the two waited silently for a bite. They shifted about, traded a few meaningless comments, and enjoyed the serenity of the time of day. It was truly nice. They caught a few fish, laughing as they did so, even with Eric's words echoing in their heads occasionally.

* * *

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

* * *

It was noon, and Eric was tired, sore, and covered in dirt. But, in the end, it paid off. His latrine wasn't quite as deep as the one back at the camp, but it was good enough. He looked about, and thought of what else he needed. A fire, for boiling water. He was running _very_ low on water. Then there was the fact that he had no container upon which he could boil water on.

"Well, shit. Hmmm... Maybe there's a stone bowl around here, somewhere. It's not too contrived for Asta to use."

_**That's it. Next Flight 29 Down story I write will feature you and Jackson... sexually.**_

"Hrmm... on second thought, maybe it is too contrived, which really sucks for me."

Eric went off elsewhere, to pilfer and plunder something to use for holding water he could boil when he made a fire... whenever that was.

* * *

_**Campfire...**_

* * *

Since it was noon, the 29ers came back to feast upon their lunch. They ate slowly, enjoying every ounce of the small catches that Jackson and Melissa had caught, while equally enjoying the few fruits that Lex had knocked down with the boomerang. You wouldn't think it was much, but, really, it was _plenty_ for them. They were content by the end of it, and little conversation passed between them. They returned to their chores. It would be a restful day. No more drama, it seemed, would happen.

* * *

_**Border of the Woods...**_

* * *

Nathan and Daley strolled along the woods, while Lex continued practicing with the boomerang.

"So, I mean, I never got to kiss you earlier..." Nathan said.

"You really want to try again?" Daley asked.

"Well, I mean, Lex is far enough way that I felt safe," he said.

"Hmmm... I suppose so, then," she said.

Nathan wrapped his hands around Daley and pulled her closer to him. For a moment, her head was on his chest. Then, he cupped her cheek, lifted her face up, and lowered his down to hers, enough for their lips to meet, gently at first. Then his tongue slipped into her mouth, awkwardly at first, but then hers slipped into his, completing the ritual and making it a full-on French kiss. They held this for a few moments, their tongues darting about, before Daley pulled back. They silently, almost unnoticeably, gasped for air, looking into one another's eyes. There were traces of lust in the stare, along with much more love.

"That was..." Nathan started.

"...Intense," Daley finished.

"Yeah."

"Lex... may be watching, so let's not do this again for a little while, okay?" Daley asked.

"Okay," Nathan nodded, numbly.

They continued watching, occasionally suggesting a few things for Lex to consider, though most were just token ideas, to give a reason for why they were still there, around someone who wasn't paying attention to them, supposedly. Yet again, they underestimated the fact that Lex was not only smart, but observant. He knew what had happened, and he saw their every movement out of the barest corner of his eye.

He was happy for his sister, though. He was also secretly planning various ways to make Nathan's life into a living hell, should he hurt Daley. It was more of an automatic response than anything else, though.

* * *

_**Overview...**_

* * *

_So, this day was good, I suppose. I mean, things between Melissa and I are going smoothly. Taylor's still cool about Eric. Eric hasn't caused us any problems. My family's good. It's a good day, in my books. A really good day. _

_-Jackson_

_Two words describe this day: French. Kiss. _

_-Nathan_

_Well, I gave Nathan what I promised... It had been hanging over me a little, but it really wasn't that bad... It was really good, actually. Lex is happy about the boomerang. We have food. Eric's not shown up, and, horrible as it is to admit it, it's kind of nice not to have to deal with him, so I guess it's been good, so far._

_-Daley_

_Jackson's been nice to me. Taylor hasn't caused me any heartache. In fact, she was kinda nice today, really. It's been a good day._

_-Melissa_

_So, boomerang's done. I never worked on that light. Gah. I'll have to get on that... maybe tomorrow. I'll need to teach Nathan how to work it, then I can work on other things._

_-Lex_

_It was... heartbreaking, seeing Eric come and go, like that. He was still the same, I think, but I know he could've stayed with us. We would've forgiven him, or, at least, I would've given them hell until they did. I saw the shovel back in my tent, but I noticed a small pot was missing. Eric must've come by again. I wish I could've been there to see him. I want to hold him, to feel his touch..._

_-Taylor_

* * *

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

* * *

Indeed, Eric had swiped the pot in exchange for the shovel. He had taken a leaf out of Taylor's book and had used two sticks to slowly, but surely, make a fire. His vision got a little misty upon thinking about Taylor, and how much she had really done for their group. He shook himself, then downed some cooled-down water, and proceeded to boil more.

He snapped off a banana and devoured it, waiting for the water to reach a boil. It did so, and he poured it carefully into his canteen, letting it stay in there to cool down. He got more water from the spring and set it beside the fire. He had enough water for now. He took off the canteen and set inside his house. He put out the fire with dirt and curled up in his shelter, using his sleeping bag for comfort.

The day could've been better, but then, Taylor could've come with him.

She'd abandoned him.

She didn't love him.

Just like... _them_.

Eric yawned, pushed away the dark thoughts, and drifted away into a hard sleep.

_**Campfire...**_

The 29ers, having finished their own private video recordings, sat down to dinner. It consisted of a variety of fruits, seaweed, and a few fish that were caught about an hour before dinner.

"So, can't help but wonder if Eric's doing this good?" Taylor wondered, gently.

"Doubt it," Jackson said.

"He's a jackass. He'll come back later, and claim to be stupid and having seen the light, and I'll agree whole heartedly with that first part," Daley said, venomously.

"_Bitch_," Taylor spat, standing up.

"What did you say to me?" Daley snapped, standing up too.

Taylor struck with an open palm so fast that it looked like two frames of images. One moment, her hand was by her side. Then next, it was on the other side of Daley's head, and said girl's head was turned to the side. She looked shocked, before she lunged at Taylor.

Immediately, the older guys jumped up, to break up the fight. Taylor and Daley had started dealing fist blows, but before anything serious could be done, Jackson had pulled Taylor back and Daley was pulled away by Nathan. Daley got in one final kick that sent Taylor and Jackson on their tails. They sighed, moaning gently in pain.

"You alright?" Jackson asked, still holding Taylor.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good," Jackson said, smiling at her.

Jackson probably should've stopped holding her shortly after they dropped. However, he hadn't, and there were serious repercussions to this act. He stayed there for about a minute, and Melissa tried not to be jealous, but she couldn't help it.

Daley was pulled back by Nathan, gently, who gripped her in a hug, similar to the one Jackson had Taylor in. Jackson got up, then helped Taylor to her feet, and again, they lingered, smiling. It was, at its core, friendly and well-meaning, but purely platonic. However, considering their history, Melissa could only see it as something more. The tears started, gently.

"Was everything you said a lie? I thought you two were being honest when you spoke yesterday!" Melissa accused, bitterly.

She stood up, whirled around, and ran off. Nathan took off after her.

"What? NO! MELISSA!" Jackson shouted.

"Melissa? Damn it!" Taylor cursed.

"What's... going on?" Lex asked, "Why's Melissa so sad?"

Daley sat down next to him, and started calmly explaining the situation. Jackson stood up to go after her, but Daley turned venomous eyes towards him.

"You keep _fucking_ around, Jackson, and you're going to end up in a world of hurt, I _swear _it. That's my _friend _you just hurt, you jackass," she spat.

"I didn't... I mean..."

"It's not his fault," Taylor said, weakly.

"Yes it is. Jackson, _choose_. Taylor or Melissa. You _are not _playing with my friend's emotions while playing with your call girl."

Taylor didn't respond. She couldn't. She had seen Daley angry, but it had always been a fiery, explosive rage. This was a whole new animal. This was a cold, venomous, hateful ire directed at those who had really hit her where it hurt.

"Go back to camp. You two need sleep," Daley said, coldly.

"But-"

"Go!"

Taylor stopped arguing, and the two walked off to camp.

"Daley, are you alright?" Lex asked, a little scared.

"No, Lex, and I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to see that. I wish you hadn't," Daley said.

Lex hugged Daley. Daley smiled slightly at her stepbrother and hugged him back. He buried his face in her shoulder, and said something just barely loud enough for her to hear.

"I don't like seeing you that angry... it's scary..."

"I'm really sorry, little bro... But... they were hurting my friend, if only unintentionally. I told you about that triangle, right? Well, Jackson should be able to break it, but he keeps screwing up. Taylor has her own interests, too, but they seem to have left..."

Daley sighed. It was almost too complicated for her, let alone her little brother who had just turned eleven, recently. He should've been celebrating his birthday at home, with his family, whether they were all blood relatives or not. It shouldn't have been on an island, devoid of his mother and stepfather. It wasn't right. She looked out into the darkness, hoping desperately that Nathan was helping to cheer up Melissa.

_**Beach...**_

Melissa had kept running, tears streaming, sobs being steadily choke out, until she ran out of breath and fell to the ground. She gasped for breath, punching the ground, tears still going.

Nathan caught up with her within the span of several seconds.

"Hey, Melissa, what's wrong?" he asked, cautiously.

"You wanna' know what's wrong? _Everything_. We're stuck on an island. We have no idea where Abby, Jory, Ian, or Captain Russell are, or if they're alive and safe. Eric's gone away. And now, even _worse,_ is the fact that Jackson and Taylor both _lied _to me. Taylor said she had no interest in Jackson, and that Jackson had no interest in me. Jackson said the same. I had seen all the signs that they liked each other, but I bought what they said. Then, just then, they had that little flicker of chemistry, of love... And here I am, pouring my heart out again, all because I'm a stupid, teenage girl with delusions of falling in love with someone who loves me back," Melissa sobbed.

Nathan sat down beside her and rubbed her back gently as she ranted and raged.

_I listened to her, and it hurt me to admit that... she was completely justified to think that way. This fate should never have fallen on Melissa. Maybe I deserve this. Maybe Jackson deserves it, or Eric. But... Melissa? Or Daley and Lex? And the others? Why the hell did _we_ get sent here? I believe in a manipulative force that causes a lot to happen... but why would it do this to the undeserving, while pouring money into the bank accounts of the wretched? Why?_

_-Nathan_

"Melissa, well, it should be fine, in the end. You'll get what you deserve. Everyone will. You're a good person. Everyone know that. You're the best friend I've ever had. You were always the one who really cared for others. You were the humanitarian. I hated kids. Remember when we had the daycare?" Nathan asked.

Melissa laughed slightly, then coughed a little, and wiped her face.

"I'll never forget little Jonny Jumper. Oh, and Hanna, with her inane babbling. She never could shut up," Nathan said.

Melissa chuckled a little more and sat up. She looked up at the stars.

"I think that's the Serpentarius constellation," Nathan said, pointing up at a set of stars that looked somewhat like a snake.

"Hm?"

"You may find it interesting. It's fully qualified to be part of our Zodiac, ya' know, Leo, Cancer, and all that. But it's not. It has every right to be, but it gets denied what is rightly its. But then, even the Chinese Zodiac has the Cat, which had been tricked by the Rat into losing its position as one of the twelve. You'll find that a lot of things get denied what should be theirs, should've been theirs to begin with. Yet, you never know when they'll finally get what they deserve. It may never happen, but you never can really tell," Nathan said, slowly, thinking his words out carefully.

Melissa sat quietly, soaking in his words. She nodded, sniffed a final time, wiped her face, and stood up. Nathan stood up beside her, and they embraced for a moment. He ruffled her hair a little, and they bumped fists.

"You okay?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah... thanks, Nathan... "

Melissa walked back to camp, a relieved Nathan in tow.

_**Campfire...**_

Daley smiled as Melissa walked by.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Yeah... Where are the others?" Melissa asked.

"They were tired, so they went to bed, already," Daley said.

One wouldn't be able to tell that she was half-lying, and especially not Melissa, considering how exhausted she was, physically from the run, and emotionally from the crying.

"I think I'll go to bed, too..."

"Take my tent to yourself, tonight. I'll sleep with Taylor."

Daley smiled as Melissa walked off to the designated tent.

"Thanks, Nathan," Daley said.

"Hey, she's my friend, too. Couldn't help myself," Nathan said with a shrug.

Daley pulled Nathan down beside her, then pulled him into a kiss that deepened after a moment. She pulled away and smiled at him. He smiled back. They stayed up for a little while, watching the fire sparkle, before they banked it into smolders, and went to their separate tents.

Their sleeps ranged from troublesome to peaceful, but they would all awaken refreshed enough for the next day, if only because they had to.

**End of Chapter Three**


	4. Frustration

_**Frustration**_

_**Or**_

_**In Which Eric and Abby Are Like Twins**_

* * *

_**I'd like to thank my wonderful co-author, Melreincarn, for random insights into various characters, and helping me figure out what Jory and Ian are most likely to be like, personality-wise.**_

_**I'm no longer putting line breaks around anything beyond the author's notes. The scene breaks should be enough.**_

_**Also, Wikipedia DID provide all the information Lex mentioned. Gripe at them if you want. Don't snap at me. This story is about Eric surviving, thus the title, and the obligatory main characters. It's not about religion, homosexuality's right-ness, or whatever. Ignore it, get pissed off about it, contemplate it, do what you want. I just shot it out there, because I think it's what the characters might have said, should Discovery Kids have allowed such material (and language) to appear on the show.**_

_**Additionally, "Homophobe Jones" comes from "Loserz" by Erik Schoenek... the 20th comic, to be exact.**_

_**Finally, these passed few chapters have been humorous, which means you may be confused by this one's darker tone. Well, it won't get better. This story was never meant to be a light-hearted tale.**_

* * *

_**Woods...**_

_Crunch..._

_Crunch..._

Eric continued stepping through the woods, cursing whoever had decided that leaves should be so _loud_ when walked upon. Was it some kind of protesting shout? Use _English_, maybe! Eric shook his head as he continued going along, silently enough. He hefted his spear up a bit higher as he spotted a target. It was a pig, and it looked like it would be _good_ eating. He licked his lips and tossed his spear.

Unfortunately, his spear-throwing skills were sub-par, and so his throw ended up being a thwacking one rather than a piercing one. Eric cursed under his breath as the pig squealed and fleed. He ran over and picked his spear up again, sighing in frustration. He turned around and saw an even bigger pig than before. It had tusks and it kicked up some dirt behind it, making Eric think of bulls.

"Toro, toro, Porky," he taunted, though his opponent couldn't exactly _understand English_.

The wild boar charged at him, squealing in anger. Eric raised up his spear and thrusted, but missed. The boar was on him and had made a slice with its tusk. Eric gritted his teeth and stabbed the boar. He pulled the spear and stabbed it again, another headwound. The thing squealed pitifully as Eric made the third and final stab that caused it to stop breathing. Eric spat in the dirt.

"Spears trump horns, bitch. Now you know that."

He crouched down and grabbed it by a leg, then proceeded to drag it across the forest floor, back to his camp. He cried out in pain and fell to his knees. He looked down to see leaves and dirt getting mixed with his blood. Again with the cursing. Eric spat something about universal meanness when it came to horns on good meat, then kept going with his food in his arms now.

Abby growled lowly as she pulled off her shirt and wrapped it around the bleeding wound, rather than just tear off a strip and ruin the shirt. Why care about modesty, anyways? Who was there to see? She snorted in anger as she tightened the makeshift bandage.

"Wretched island with-

"-stupid difficulties!" Eric snapped.

"Makes me wonder why-"

"-I even _went_ on that stupid trip!"

Abby snapped a stick in half and tossed the pieces to the side. They served their purpose in curbing some of her frustration. She looked down in sadness for a few moments.

"Why did I-"

"-leave the camp, though?" Eric wondered, "It had all I needed... Gah. It just-"

"-didn't feel like home," Abby said, her anger reviving.

"I have _got_-"

"-to fix myself and get back to surviving!" Eric snapped.

The morning continued in mostly silence for the pair as they continued their current job: _surviving. _Even if it was on their own.

_**Campfire...**_

Almost everyone sat in a circle around it as Melissa dished out breakfast to everyone, calmly. Then she got to Jackson. She froze for a moment, before handing him a coconut and banana, a little hastily. After was Taylor. She seemed to be struggling with a primal urge to throw both in Taylor's face, but she decided against it, and placed the breakfast on her plate, her face contorted in anger. The exchange with Jackson and Taylor took about 10 seconds, total. In their morning daze, they almost didn't notice it.

Key word: _almost_.

"What's the matter?" Jackson asked.

Melissa gave him a pointed look. He looked down, and his posture immediately changed to one that suggested a level of shame and sadness. Taylor snorted.

"Get over-"

"Shut up! Just _shut_ up, and don't even _speak_ to me!"

Melissa shook herself and ate quickly, then hurried over to the chicken. She sat down there, with her back to the campfire. Everyone had been in a daze and then were too shocked to speak to Melissa. Nathan glared at Jackson, then Taylor. Jackson didn't notice it, while Taylor glared right back. Daley mouthed dangerous things as she ate. Lex rubbed his eyes sleepily as he got out of his tent.

"Who shouted...?" he asked, yawning.

"Oh... I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" Melissa asked, concerned.

Lex nodded slightly.

"I was worried," Lex said.

"Sorry, Lex. It was... nothing. Unimportant. Don't worry about it, okay?" Melissa asked, smiling.

Lex was, for all his intelligence, an 11-year-old kid, and even that was a recent change. Melissa's lie fooled him, and no one bothered calling her out on it. No one wanted Lex to be concerned with their problems.

Breakfast continued in a mostly silent manner, until finally, Daley started handing out chores.

"Jackson, you and Taylor will go fishing. Take a bucket, fill it with water, and use that to keep the fish alive, for now," Daley said, "It'll give you guys time to _think_, for a change."

Taylor muttered a "whatever", and walked off. Jackson collected poles and a large bucket, then walked off after her.

"Melissa, you'll boil water than Nathan and I will fetch. Lex, we need a few more fruits, okay? 'Rang us some," Daley said, smiling at her step-brother.

Lex nodded and walked over to grab it up, then started for the forest. Melissa sat back at the campfire, after grabbing up her boiling pot. Nathan and Daley grabbed up the jugs and walked into the forest.

_**Beach...**_

"Why'd she get made leader?" Taylor wondered.

"Because she was the only one who really wanted the job when I stepped down because of the kind of thing that I'm currently in the middle of," Jackson replied.

"What?"

"Drama."

"Right."

"It's so stupid, too... Daley told me to make a choice, but, to be honest, there _isn't_ a choice. You're a great person, but I like Melissa more, romantically."

"Then why respond to me more?"

"If I had opened up to her... that would've caused a relationship and problems... I can't do that, right now... But I should've been fair."

Taylor nodded, understanding.

"I get it. Well, good luck with Melissa. She's a bit whiny, but that's probably just aimed at me. She's a fox, other than that," Taylor said, with more enthusiasm than one would expect.

"A fox?"

"Yeah, got a problem with it?"

"No, I agree, I just didn't think you'd say that."

"Why not?"

"I just didn't think that straight girls commented on other girls like that."

"Got that wrong, bud. I have a revolving door."

"Oh."

Jackson shook his head and continued fishing. They caught three fish before lunchtime, and called it quits then. A few minutes after they were finished and lounging about the beach, Lex approached Jackson.

"Hey, I need you for something," he whispered.

Jackson nodded. Lex motioned for him to come a little farther down the beach, and Jackson did so. Finally, on some rocks, Lex stood. He pointed out towards the sea.

"What is it?" Jackson asked.

"Those clouds? They're storm clouds. How's the cave coming?"

_"Jackson... I've been kinda worried... I mean, we're on an island. It's entirely likely we'll get hit by a typhoon at some point."_

_"Okay, sure... So, what should we do?"_

_"Well, I mean, we've had a pickax... for a while, really."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah. It was for a stoning trip we were gonna take on the island we were _headed_ for."_

_"Hmmm... dig a pit in the sand?"_

_"Errr... no. Make a cave in the cliffs. I saw where Melissa and Taylor fell and got trapped at. I also know a way we could reasonably get up and out. Dig a cave around that area."_

_"Hmmm... it is a good idea, but it'll be difficult. To get a good cave? I'll need a month or else a lot of good luck."_

_"No luck necessary. I noticed a lot of cracks in that area already made. The outer wall is weak, ready to shatter."_

And so Jackson had begun making the cave, at an incredibly quick pace, when he had the time. Often, he'd sneak out at night. Lex had told him to keep it under wraps so as to avoid any form of panic from the others.

"I've actually got a pretty large one going so far. It would be cramped if we were to all get in it, but we could fit, all the same," Jackson said.

"Well, keep working as best you can, all the same. The more room, the better, since we may be stuck, in need of boiled water and a stockpile of fruit. I'll go ahead and start stockpiling a private stash of fruit," Lex said.

Jackson nodded, and headed off for the cliff, to do some work while he still could, while Lex ran off to the fruit area. Taylor quirked a brow at it, but shrugged and continued lounging about.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

In the meanwhile, a pair of adventurers were awaiting rescue or way to rescue themselves. It wasn't coming to much. A rather hefty girl was nervously stroking a surfer-type boy's hair, trying to comfort him however she could.

"What should we do?" Jory asked.

"Waiting for rescue isn't exactly helping," Ian said, with a shrug.

"Well, I mean..." Jory said, before she paused, hearing movement.

"Blammed Commies...," a voice growled from outside, as the rustling got closer.

"Bob...," Ian muttered.

Jory nodded.

The rustling stopped and there was the sound of scuffling, as if something was being moved about. It stopped, then the rustling started. It got quieter after a while, until it was inaudible.

"You can't take care of yourself like this...," Jory said.

"Sure I can. I'll be fine," Ian replied.

"You have a broken leg, even if you don't admit it, with all your silence about it. It's admirable, sure, but it doesn't make the leg heal any faster. I'm just glad I know how to make a splint."

"I am, too, trust me."

"So we're agreed? No going looking for help."

"I don't agree to that."

"You _can't_ go look for help. So, it's a dictatorship, not a democracy, which would've ended in a tie, anyways."

Ian slightly twitched his shoulders. Jory immediately placed her hands there and began rubbing. It was a silent code between them. If something bothered Ian, he twitched it and Jory massaged. A few jokes had gone on about this, but the system worked well enough.

They were friends after all.

"It wouldn't have ended in a tie if Abby were here," Ian muttered.

"That's right. She would've voted to stay here and wait."

"Yeah, there's that. Sweet-as-cotton-candy Abby would've stayed here and taken care of me," Ian said, chuckling slightly.

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

Eric chuckled maliciously as he got his fire going and prepared to cook.

"Ohhhh yeah!" he said in an imitation of The Kool-Aid Man.

He scratched his chin, thoughtfully, for a moment, then dug in his tent. He found a small knife and smirked. He then stuck the knife into it and sliced off a tiny strip. He tossed it into his pot, then repeated the process, ignoring the blood from his meal. After a few moments, though, he started to retch a little. Still, he pressed on, until there was a good amount of meat.

"Pork in a pot."

Eric shook his head at the kind of jokes he would've made back at home, then continued cooking. He speared one slice with his knife and looked at it. After a few moments of blowing on it, he nibbled away at it, until he had eaten the whole piece.

"Mmm... gamey, but good," he said with a shrug.

_**Woods...**_

Abby crawled to a tree, her leg slightly unstable. She used the tree as a support, as she shakily got to her feet. She breathed deeply, trying to regain some lost energy. She took a few steps and, with a loud four-letter word, she fell on her face. With a stream of obscene language, she stood back up, shakily. She stumbled a bit, narrowly keeping her balance. A smell hit her nose, and she moaned in longing, as her mouth started to water.

_Food!_

_Cooked... food!_

Abby kept going forward, towards the wondrous smell of food. It reminded her of roast beef. She didn't usually care for roast beef, being a vegan, but this was starvation talking. And it said the smell was _yummy_.

_**Watering Area...**_

Daley set her jug where it would start getting filled up. She stood back up and smiled at Nathan. He smiled back, then shrugged after a moment.

"So, what should we do?" Nathan asked.

"Keep filling up the jugs..."

"About Melissa."

Daley twitched.

"She's depressed, because of that misunderstanding with Jackson and Taylor," Nathan said.

"Jackson needs to quit messing around, and it'll be fine. A quick, clean break, and it'll be fine. Preferably, the break'll be with Taylor," Daley said.

"Jackson isn't interested in Taylor."

"What?"

"He said so, last night, when we stayed up talking, like always," Nathan said.

"You guys do? Wait, Jackson isn't interested in Taylor?"

"No. He's alright with her, but that's not the point. Jackson had tried to talk with Melissa earlier, but got the cold shoulder, instead," Nathan explained.

"So... we need to talk to Melissa."

Nathan nodded.

"Great. That'll be easy. Her friends who ditched her to make-out are going to crawl back to her to tell her that she should forgive her jerk not-boyfriend for talking to the preppy skank-ho and actually pouring his heart out to said prep instead of her. Real easy," Daley said.

"Why are you so down on Taylor?"

"Do I need to name individual reasons, or can I file them all under Taylor-isms?" Daley asked.

"Ah. Okay. Sure."

Daley pulled out her jug, and Nathan sat his down.

"So, what should we do?" Nathan asked.

"Watch, for now," Daley said, "It's all we can do."

_**Wooded Area...**_

Lex walked into the area, where he saw the selection of fruits up in the trees. He smirked and raised up his boomerang. It flew through the air and a banana fell to the ground. He pumped his fist and rushed over to it. He peeled it and took a bite. A good midday snack. He smiled in satisfaction as he sat down to think for a few moments.

_The camp is... good... I mean... There are problems, but we're not half-bad. Storm aside._

He took another bite and began chewing.

_So... why did Eric run off like he did? Meat isn't anything to worry about. It seems stupid, really..._

He swallowed with a gulp, peeled back the banana a bit more, and continued eating.

_It caused a ton of problems, too... All of a sudden, Melissa and Taylor started fighting about Jackson. I mean, I know Melissa actually has feelings for Jackson and that Taylor doesn't, so I don't know why they can't just leave it at that. That seems kinda stupid, too._

He peeled back all of the banana and popped in the last of it.

_Thinking of romance, Nathan and Daley seemed to have hit it off. I'm glad for my sister, but I hope it doesn't cause any problems... Every other relationship seems to. Almost makes me wonder why relationships even _happen_. But then, that girl in my class _was_ kinda cute..._

Lex shook his head and stood up, then headed closer to his target tree.

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

Abby walked into the settlement, and gasped as she saw Eric. Eric turned to the noise and spat out his pork piece in fright. When he realized that he was looking at a shirtless Abby, he gaped for a moment, before shaking himself.

"Shit, Abby... what's up?" Eric asked.

"Is that cooked pork?" Abby asked.

"Yeah... uh... you don't eat meat, right?"

"Used to. Got passed that."

She sat down by the fire, wincing in pain.

"It's still got a while to cook, so... how've ya been?" Eric asked.

"Not good. When I left, I ended up caught in a rockslide that damaged my leg. Unfortunately, I've had to use my... shirt... to... damn it. Do you have a spare shirt?"

Eric pilfered through his stuff and tossed her one, before sitting back down. He was a bit disappointed that she minded being shirtless, but he didn't dare mention that.

"Well, I came out here because I was tired of the guys back at the camp. They refuse to hunt, they hate me, they're complete idiots, blah, blah, blah," Eric said with a sneer.

"Refuse to hunt? Do they have food?"

"They have fruits, but I wanted some meat for a change. It's ridiculous to have to ask, but when I did, everyone, even _Taylor_, refused."

"Even Taylor? She's that ditzy blonde, right?"

"Hey, she wasn't just a ditzy blonde. That's what anyone would think, but she cared about me."

"Well, I was just indicating surprise. Don't get touchy about it."

Eric shrugged and looked down at the pot.

"Still got a while. Stick around for it."

"So, I'm invited to dinner?"

"Honestly? You're invited to stick around as long as you like. Hey, that splint you got looks a little half-assed... I could help you out there."

Abby glared for a second at the comment on her splint, but then her expression changed to a calmer one, and she nodded, obviously a bit grateful. Eric chuckled and went to grab up some sticks.

"Now, this is pretty crude, but it's the best method, from what Lex and Nathan told me," Eric said, as he sat down next to Abby.

He began to readjust the shirt wrapped around her leg, then slipped in the sticks on opposite sides, before retightening it. Abby winced, then sighed when it got comfortable. Eric scooted a few feet away, to give her space, and they chatted a little more, waiting for the food to finish cooking.

_**Campfire...**_

The 29ers gathered around the campfire, as Lex handed out fruit to everyone, while Jackson dished out pieces of cooked fish. They ate for a while in comfortable enough silence.

"So, guys, how's the day so far?" Nathan asked.

"Eh. So so," Jackson said.

Melissa's lip twitched.

Lex shrugged. "It's fine."

"Yeah, same here," Daley answered.

"We're stuck on an island. That sums up the day for me," Taylor said.

Melissa worked _hard_ to suppress a snarky comment, and was shocked to realize how tough it was. She was normally so nice! It was her ideal, something she'd worked so hard to continue doing, and it had gotten to be so easy in recent years. A month on the island had wrecked years of work. How? Why? She took in a sharp breath of air, as she panicked for a second.

"You alright?" Jackson asked.

"I'm fine, just a little... freaked. Sorry. Better now," Melissa said, calming down quickly.

Everyone was paying attention to her now, and that was only making her _more_ nervous. She took in deep breaths.

"What?" she demanded.

"Ummm... we've been kinda worried about since this morning," Nathan said.

"It's nothing, I swear."

"You've been acting strange lately. I mean... snapping at Taylor...?"

"What? Everyone's perfectly_ fine_ that I'm sweet? No one bothers to question if that's the real me? But, all of a sudden, I express an actual _thought_ of mine, an actual _feeling_, and everyone's worried about me?" Melissa snapped.

Everyone looked at her with shock, though Taylor was smiling in an almost evil manner.

_'Looks like even the Goody Two-Shoes isn't as pure as she claims.'_

"Sorry, Nathan. That was... uncalled for."

"No, Melissa... it was fine. I understand. I mean, I was a bit... pigheaded... about Daley. It does crazy things to you," Nathan said, scratching the back of his head nervously.

Daley glanced at him, nervously. Lex smiled slightly.

_'Is it gonna get better?'_ he wondered.

Taylor looked bored with it all.

"It's not your fault," Melissa said, almost too quietly to be heard.

Taylor caught it however, and she was _not_ about to miss the opportunity to drag this new, bitchy Melissa out.

"What was that?"

She donned her best ditzy smile, feigning ignorance at what she was forcing Melissa into. Melissa stood up and took a step towards Taylor. Everyone immediately realized the threatening gesture, but no one thought to do anything. It was just... too shocking, to see _Melissa_ do it.

"I said it wasn't Nathan's fault. It's _yours_, Taylor. You make everything more difficult, tear everyone down!"

She was in full blown rage now, repeating something you couldn't even tell the camera lens.

"I wish it was you out there! At least then I...," Melissa stopped herself mid-sentence, as, embarrassed already, her anger faded away.

Taylor picked up where Melissa left off in an irritatingly condescending tone, "What? At least then you could have Jackson? Listen, sweeties, take him. I'll just bang Abby when she gets back."

The awkward silence lasted a full minute, while Taylor kicked back and finished eating her meal.

"Are... are you serious?" Nathan asked, as he desperately tried to keep the images from flooding his mind.

"What?" Taylor asked.

"About ummmm... having sex with Abby?" Melissa said.

"Minor present!" Daley hissed.

"I probably know more about sex than you do," Lex pointed out.

"Only because of rainy days and that damn Wikipedia! Also, I'd _really_ rather not have know that."

"Is that why we never did anything back when we were dating?" Nathan asked.

Daley glared at him.

"Try: we didn't last long enough."

"So, what, you dumped me for a chick? How disgusting."

"Oh shut the fuck up, Homophobe Jones."

"Hey, he has merit. I can't say that lesbianism is exactly pure...," Jackson said, piping up.

Taylor looked at him with disbelief, while Nathan blinked.

_'I thought we were at least _friends!_ Bastard,'_ Taylor thought, irritated.

"Where do you get that idea?" Lex asked.

"Well, the Bible speaks against it."

"Where?" Lex demanded.

"'Should a man lay with a man as he would a servant or a woman, it is an abomination.' There's one."

"What? Is servant a third gender? It's referring to the old days, where free men were above everyone else. Also, the Old Testament is just history, and Christian belief dictates that Jesus wiped away any laws set down it, setting up his own."

"It's talked about in the Bible in the New Testament as well."

"I know that verse, too. Historically speaking, that was referring to practice of Roman men to buy small boys and use them sexually. It was pedophilia."

"It's not right, though," Nathan said.

"_How_?"

"Umm... physically speaking, every animal is supposed to survive to procreate. So... homosexuality is against the laws of nature!"

"We have another lobe in our brain that can help us decide and reason, which could cause this 'deviation'. However, it's been noted that at _least_ 1,500 species of animals practice homosexuality. Apes, marine birds, mammals, monkeys, and the great apes are _all_ documented as occasionally committing homosexual practices. Heck, gay penguins have been known to mate for life, using a rock as a surrogate egg. Once, a zoo replaced the rock with a real egg. The penguins raised it as if it were their own. Some think it's genetics, and that's likely, seeing as the fly isn't likely to have much difference in environment," Lex said, "So, if you've got something _else_ dispute, bring it."

The boys were speechless.

_**...OWNED.**_

Lex blinked.

"Wikipedia has just redeemed itself," Daley said.

Melissa shook herself, finished off her fruit and rushed over to grab her pots.

"Hurry up! Don't just sit there when there's work to do," she snapped.

The others rushed off, with the last bites of their food in hand. Melissa was on a bit of a rampage, and Taylor was wondering if it wasn't _Melissa's_ period.

As it happens, _maybe_. But I'm not telling.

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

Eric looked into the pot and nodded, satisfied. He speared several pieces with some swiped cutlery and placed them on makeshift plates, known most often as tree bark. A little boiling sterilized them just fine, though. He handed one plate to Abby and sat back down with his own.

"Camp was dull, I'm serious. Jackson? More like jackass. Daley was a total control freak who forced me to work just so she could make out with Nathan. Lex was a little know-it-all who just criticized me. Melissa was a perfect little dunce who pined after the jackass and snapped at Taylor, of all people. It was just all wrong, I swear," Eric ranted as he ate.

"At least you had a place to sleep comfortably enough. Even on your own, you've been pampered," Abby replied.

"I know. I cheated. But, oh well. Standing on the shoulders of giants works."

"Surviving with nothing is the real test. When just spending a day without food is a blessing? That's the gritty reality of survival, what our ancestors went through. What _I've_ gone through."

Eric nodded.

"Yeesh. Do you plan on doing that again?"

"I'll stick around here until my leg heals. Then, I have family to find."

He nodded again, ate the last of his meat, and rolled around the question in his mind for a few moments, before finally asking it.

"Would you like help finding your family?"

Abby mulled it over for a moment.

"Come along at your own risk."

Eric smiled and held out his hand. Abby grabbed it, hesitantly, and they shook hands.

_'This looks like the beginning of _beautiful_ friendship.'_

_**Damn it, Eric! WHY DID YOU USE THAT OLD LINE!?**_

_Because I know it pisses you off._

_**Hotel Tango...**_

"So, how do you plan on us getting rescued if you're gonna stay here?" Ian asked.

"Well, I know Abby'll come looking for us."

"If she's not dead."

"Don't say things like that."

"Well, it's possible."

"She's alive, I know it!"

"Okay, okay..."

Jory picked up a few fruits from her small pile and handed one to Ian, then began eating her own.

"Is Abby our only plan?" Ian asked.

"Well, I mean, if push comes to shove, I could devise some kind of stretcher and carry you with me..."

"There's no way you could carry me across this jungle, even if you did know the way back to the others in the crash," Ian said.

"I can try."

At that point, conversation stopped, because Captain Russell had burst into the room, looking around. Jory hesitantly tossed her other fruit to him. He seized it and ran off, remniscient of a wild animal in his nature.

Jory and Ian ate quietly, pondering over plans.

_**Campfire...**_

Jackson looked at Daley and Nathan, then grabbed up both jugs. They nodded and walked on elsewhere. He walked through the woods, filled them both, and brought them back. Melissa looked at him for a moment, before she got back to boiling, wishing they had three jugs instead of just two. Then, at least, she could stall... a _lot_ longer. All day, if it came to it. And that's just how she'd have liked it, too.

But that's not how it was going to happen. Melissa sighed. She just couldn't catch a break today.

"Melissa, I just wanna say..."

"Jackson, you lied to me. I can _not_ forgive you for what you did. Not anytime soon," Melissa said.

"I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't intend for that to happen. And, coming out aside, Taylor _did_ say she wasn't after me."

"What about you?"

Jackson hesitated, largely because he felt the question was so ridiculous. Melissa took a sharp intake of breath, and Jackson mentally panicked.

"I don't, I swear!"

He over-compensated. Melissa faced away from him and looked at the fire as she boiled the water. She finished boiling all the water in the container, then tossed it at Jackson. He nodded sadly, and walked slowly to get to the spring. No rush. It's not like she wanted him around. But... he wanted her.

He had always known he held some form of feeling for Melissa. The attraction to her wasn't just sexual (hell, he'd barely admit that there _was_ a sexual attraction, simply out of sheer shame), but it had been much deeper than he realized.

Melissa had been so forceful, so adamant about pursuing a friendship. She was exactly the kind of person Jackson pushed away, but this wasn't a success. Because something had seperated her from the dozens of foster families and teachers. She actually cared.

_**Beach...**_

"I can't believe you're still hung up over Taylor!" Daley hissed.

"I swear I'm not! I was just curious! I mean, seriously, if we broke up and you found out I was gay, wouldn't you wonder if it was because I was pining over some guy?" Nathan replied.

"Are you?"

"No! But that's not the point. Answer the question."

"I doubt it."

"Ohhh, you lie so well!"

Daley turned to him and looked like she wanted to slap him for a second. With an irritated noise, she stomped on.

"I would not care if you broke up with me because you were pining over a guy!"

"But if you didn't know that I was..."

"Shut up, Nathan!"

Nathan held up both hands in a surrendering gesture.

"Alright, alright, but whatever you think, I am not hung up over Taylor. One look at you is enough to wipe away any memory of her," Nathan said.

Daley turned to him, shocked at the sweet moment. She smiled, and he smiled back, before the distant between their lips shrank until there wasn't any. After a few moments, they broke apart, drinking in the moment. Finally, the moment faded, and they smiled, a little awkwardly.

"I've got to check on something... you'll need to learn how to use the boomerang, in case Lex isn't able to use it or something," Daley said, shrugging a little, an almost embarrased motion.

"Okay then, cool," Nathan said.

They lingered for a few moments, before slowly walking off, gradually speeding up.

_**Plane...**_

Taylor decided to take up the old job that entailed sunning out and making sure all of their batteries stayed charged up. She plugged in her headphones and sighed in relaxation, twitching her feet in time with the music.

She had been doing this for about 10 or 20 minutes, when the red-haired leader of the group approached. The sudden shade caused Taylor to open her eyes. She rolled said features and paused her music.

"Yes?" Taylor asked.

Daley sighed.

"It seems stupid, but I have to know: are you seriously a lesbian?"

"No."

"Than you were just messing with Melissa with the Abby comment?"

"No."

Taylor smiled slightly.

"Then..."

"Dude, chick, I don't care."

"Are you serious?"

"Hell yeah I am. Melissa's just too whiny to be my type, though. Don't tell her that. I think I'll enjoy messing with her. Her ass is nice, I'll admit."

"And... what about me?"

"Too dominant, really. Overbearing, bitchy, all that. Not many girls fit my quota."

"You're bi-curious."

"No, no. I've had a few dates. Just... none anyone's been aware of. Supposed sleep-overs and whatnot."

"In the closet?"

"Up until now."

"Why admit it now?"

"Why not?"

"Well, I mean, why admit it while you're stuck on an island with us?"

"Well, I figured you guys would be at least a little accepting. Thanks to Lex, that's possible, thank the Lord."

I was tempted to answer her thanks, but I decided against it. This time.

_**Heheheheh...**_

Taylor looked around, upon hearing the voice, but shrugged it off.

Damn it!

In the meantime, Daley took in a deep breath.

"So, now that you've gotten passed the unimportant small talk, gonna ask what you _really_ want?" Taylor asked.

Daley massaged her temples, then sat down in the sand.

"Listen, Taylor, I need your absolute guarantee that you will _not_ make it hard for Jackson and Melissa? No more antagonistic Anti-Cupid Antics, please? It's difficult living with them, when they're obviously upset."

Taylor sighed, exasperatedly.

"If you promise, I can't give you anything, but if you don't, well... Lex's genius can be used for _excellent_ means of torment," Daley threatened.

"Fine, damn it all."

"Thank you."

"That it?"

"Yeah."

Daley stood up and walked off. Taylor resumed listening, enjoying the distraction, as she discreetly watched Daley walked off. She had to admit that Daley had a pretty fine figure, too. She chuckled at the potential repercussions, should Daley know about _those_ thoughts, as she lost herself in the music.

_**Wooded Area...**_

Nathan walked into the area, looking about, nervously. Lex tossed the boomerang and waited patiently, but obviously not lazily, as he was ready to catch it when it came back, and he did so with ease. Nathan coughed, conspicuously, prompting Lex to turn around and look at him.

"Yes?" Lex asked.

"Ummm... Daley said I needed to train with the boomerang," Nathan answered.

Lex was obviously still a touch irritated with Nathan about the homophobia, but he still handed him the boomerang.

"Alright, now, you position your index finger here..."

Lex continued positioning Nathan's hand in the proper way to hold a boomerang. He then took several steps to the side, mimicked the way Nathan held the boomerang, and spread his legs out into a stance.

"Now, stand like this. It helps bring your weight where you need it. Took me a few tries to figure out Link was _not_ holding it right," Lex noted.

"Dude. You played Ocarina of Time?"

"Twilight Princess."

"Ahhh... you missed out on a classic."

Lex shrugged and decided to get back on topic.

"Now, this is how you throw..."

Lex then tossed an invisible boomerang, as lolcatz would say. Nathan nodded and imitated the throw a few times, before he finally felt he had it right.

"Now, targeting...," Lex said.

"It's not just a simple Z button press, I suppose?"

"Was that the only game you ever played?"

"Pretty much, yeah. I wasn't big on games, to be honest."

"Well, anyways, I haven't really devised an approximate way to really target. You just have to get used to where it flies. You can learn how to target in your own manner, however it is. I just know that I can't explain how I do it. You have to line up and... gah. Impossible," Lex said, shrugging.

Nathan chuckled.

"I understand."

Nathan reared back and let the boomerang fly through the air. He smiled as it came back, having hit nothing. He struggled, but didn't quite catch it.

"You'll learn how to do that, too, with practice," Lex said, rubbing the back of his head.

Nathan nodded, and started back with his practice.

"So, do you seriously believe all that you spouted off?" Nathan suddenly asked.

"Yes."

"I mean, it's been known that Wiki gets articles that aren't true, or people edit ignorantly..."

"Nathan, I checked the cited sources. Valid stuff, all of it. I don't care if you believe in some force that'll send you to eternal damnation, despite being a loving being. I go with science most of the time. Some scientists do believe in an architect, and I do go with them. But I question most religions, as most are filled with hypocrisy or hypocrites," Lex said.

"Where do you _hear_ this stuff?"

"It's what my dad said, most of the time. I do, however, understand exactly what he was talking about, and I feel the same way, having heard what he says about the various religions," Lex replied, hanging back.

Nathan kept practicing. He managed to catch it, narrowly.

"I just can't believe that, man. I've been taught since I was born that it was nothing but God and the Devil. Sinners go to hell, gays were making the wrong choice, abortion is killing babies... all of that. I can't help but think, but _know_, it's the truth," Nathan said.

"Oh dear sweet Joshua..."

"Joshua?"

"English for Jesus."

Nathan blinked.

"I'm pretty sure Jesus is English for Jesus."

Lex sighed.

"Jesus is Greek. Yeshua is Hebrew. Joshua is English."

They kept on discussing various religious details, some nitpicky, some of larger consequence. Nathan got better, eventually snagging a fruit, before Lex took back over, and Nathan went to fetch water.

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

Eric sighed, contentedly. Abby looked at him.

"So?" she asked.

"Well, I think we should hang around here, and gather up supplies. I've got a knife that we could use to make another spear or two, then cut up what we need. I know how to make fires, so that's no problem."

"Then what's the problem?" Abby demanded.

"Well, water, for one... And a way to get back to camp, that's another," Eric said.

"We could find springs along the way. Of course, we could be sure to have as much water as we need by kicking it into overdrive on getting water. Fill up both of our canteens to the top, along with the bottle. Keep a kettle full as we go along, to boil as soon as we need it. Fill up on springs as we go. Ration our water. It'll work."

"Yeah... but a way to get back to camp, should we get lost?" Eric asked.

"Collect pieces of bark... scratch a symbol in them... breadcrumb trail."

"That... could work really well," Eric said, giving in, "Alright. Over the next few days, who gets what chores?"

"One of us should collect and boil water, while the other collects food and bark pieces. We'll alternate," Abby said.

"Sure thing," Eric said, shrugging, "Sounds good."

They shook hands, agreeing to it. Though, perhaps, they held hands a second longer than was strictly necessary...

_**Campfire...**_

The silence around the campfire was relatively awkward. Melissa was trying to deal with the fact that Jackson pined for Taylor, who was a lesbian or bisexual; that wasn't exactly made clear to _her_, but didn't return Jackson's feelings, either way. Jackson was dealing with the fact that he now had been given a mission (albeit by himself) to prove to Melissa that he cared for her. Of course, Nathan and Jackson were both a bit nervous around Lex, who had proven that he was no longer going to just be treated as a little kid. He would _not_ be ignored, the way he had been before. And, of course, Daley was a bit uneasy about everything, while Taylor was only concerned about one person, who wasn't at camp.

"Anyone else get the feeling that the Author just did a really bad recap?" Nathan asked.

_**Shut up. Not like you could do better. Ingrates...**_

"Hmmm... I've been looking at the skies, and they look pretty bad... like a storm's coming," Daley said.

Lex looked out there, though he knew what it was, and had predicted and prepared for it long ago.

"It does look pretty bad."

"I wonder if it'll reach us," Jackson said.

"Hope not...," Melissa muttered.

"Should we warn Eric?" Taylor asked.

"When we could be protecting ourselves? That's impractical," Jackson said.

"Hate to say it, but we can't risk it. If Eric had been smart and stayed with us, there wouldn't be a problem. But... he didn't. And now he's paying for it," Daley said.

Taylor went rigid, and she turned fierce eyes on Daley, the mirrored surfaces reflecting the campfire. The redhead shivered as she felt that the fire in her eyes didn't accurately represent the one held by just her glare.

"So Eric wasn't smart for leaving when we all abandoned him on the one thing that he brought up that was a _good _idea?" Taylor snapped.

"Yeah, pretty much. We can't hunt. It's too risky," Daley said.

"Oh, fuck you! You and Nathan did it, and _nothing_ bad happened, other than you two losing your spines at the last second," Taylor roared, standing up.

No one moved. Taylor was in her own full-blown rage now. Everyone's attention was on her, now.

"Do _any_ of you wonder why Eric acts like he does? Like he doesn't care? Why he's so mean sometimes?" Taylor demanded.

"He's a spoiled, rich kid. That's all that had to happen," Jackson said, bitterly.

"He learned it from his parents!"

"What?" Daley asked.

"That's right! He learned apathy from his parents! It didn't matter what he did! They _didn't_ care. He sneaks out and goes to a party, where he gets _slammed_ and as high as a kite. When he gets home, they just rolled their eyes and sent him to the bathroom when he started throwing up. That's it. No rant about how wrong he was. No helping him stay above the _toilet_ while he hurled! His birthdays? They didn't even sing to him. He made a guest list of maybe two friends, who came over and they did stupid stuff. They didn't even wrap his gifts," Taylor said, tears forming in her eyes, "Can you imagine parents who just _ignore_ you, _every day of your life_? As if you were just a mistake, but not even worth the trouble to ship you off to the orphanage!? CAN YOU!? WELL ERIC DIDN'T HAVE TO IMAGINE! HE HAD TO PUT UP WITH IT EVERY DAMN DAY OF HIS LIFE!"

No one said a word. There was nothing _to_ say to that. Everyone had made assumptions, and they'd all been made asses of.

Taylor's ragged breathing was the only sound for a few moments.

"Are you really going to turn your back on him? Knowing that? How _could_ you?" Taylor snapped, whirling around and walking off.

She stormed into her tent, while the other 29ers sat around the fire, looking confused or hurt, even. Trying to wrap one's mind around such an atrocity was damaging. It was so horrid, to live _every day_ with parents who obviously didn't give a damn about you. How could such a thing exist?

Melissa shuddered at the thought, herself.

Gradually, they each finished their dinner and headed for bed.

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

At the settlement, Abby was waiting for the pork to cook, while Eric was off foraging. After a few minutes, Eric came back and tossed Abby a banana, while he munched on his own.

_**Hmmm... how can I be mean HERE?**_

"Have you heard the Author? He's the one doing all these crazy things to us. Maybe he's the reason we are stuck here. He's dragging me down."

"Is that some bad metaphor for God or are you just going nuts?"

"Shut up. He's real, I tell you."

_**Of course I am.**_

"See! He did it again!"

"You really are nuts."

_**Mean quota is filled.**_

Eric grumbled and checked the pork, satisfied that it was done, before serving it to Abby and himself.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

"Ya' know... after Pearl Harbor, this place was set up as a defense against naval attacks...," Russell ranted.

Jory and Ian nodded absently, ignoring him completely. Having already thrown him a few fruits, and eaten the rest, they were out of ideas for the time being.

"Well, a stretcher _could_ work...," Jory said.

"No. Seriously. Just go on without me. Leave me about 6 or 7 days worth of food, then go exploring. Leave a trail of banana peels or something," Ian said.

Jory sighed.

"Maybe. I _might_ be fine with that. I don't know that I can handle that, though... I don't like the idea of leaving you alone...," Jory said.

"I'll be fine. I promise," Ian said, smiling his signature grin.

That grin had always cheered up Jory over their time on the island. It helped her forget their troubles, if only for a moment. She'd adored that grin since the school year began, and he had flashed it at her on his way to class.

She smiled back, then laid back, a few feet away from Ian, should he wake up with a nightmare, like he had once or twice. Gently, she fell asleep, the chatter of Russell mere background noise now.

_**Tent Area...**_

Jackson and Lex lightly stepped out of their tents, looking around, cautiously.

"Where'd you put the fruits?" Jackson asked in a hushed whisper.

Lex started off to where they were.

They thought they were completely alone, that no one had seen them. But they were wrong. It may have been midnight, but there was one girl who definitely had _more_ than enough on her mind to keep her up. Melissa peeked out of her tent and watched Jackson and Lex rush off. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. What were they doing? Something to cheer up Taylor, after she had her little breakdown...?

The thought caused a shuddering sob to erupt through Melissa's body, as she pulled herself back into the tent and curled up in her sleeping bag, wiping away the tears as they formed.

**End of Chapter Four**


	5. Bloodied Hands

_**Bloodied Hands**_

_**  
...or...**_

_**In Which A Soul is Stained...**_

* * *

_**And now... we get to the reason I started this fic. I've been waiting for this chapter since I started the fic. It's been light-hearted and happy for most of the time, but now, the story is taking a darker turn. **_

_**The new summary comes from a statement I made concerning this chapter.**_

_**And now... we get to the reason I started this fic. I've been waiting for this chapter since I started the fic. You can tell by the title that this... is where things get dark. Where things get hell-ish... frought with pain... as one boy struggles with his sanity, unable to grasp at the light he so desperately seeks out.**_

* * *

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

Abby sat up in the cold, crisp jungle, looking outside of the makeshift house to see almost no light. Good. She woke up in time. She got up, obviously a little weary, but ignored that, and walked over to Eric. She pulled him out of the house, but he barely stirred. She growled, before pulling him up to his feet. He muttered something and his eyes fluttered.

"Wake up!" Abby barked.

Eric's eyes snapped open.

"Huh? Wha?" he demanded, looking about.

"Come on, we've got stuff to do," Abby said, letting him go.

Eric stumbled for a moment, before getting his balance. He moaned.

"Aw come on... I'm still sleepy!"

Abby turned and glared. Eric instantly ducked his head.

"But, I mean, I'll be fine."

Abby nodded, satisfied.

"Get the fire going," Abby said.

Eric sighed and got to it. Abby sat down with a large stick, one of five Eric had collected over the passed few days, for emergency needs. As he set up the grass pile and began viciously rubbing the sticks together, she began slicing into the stick, gradually giving it a better point.

_**Secret Cave...**_

"It looks good, Jackson. Ceiling is just high enough that at least I could stand up comfortably. That's really all we need, and it's all we can risk. Any higher and we could risk a cave-in."

Jackson nodded, accepting the praise with a smile.

"Think it'll help us with that hurricane?" Jackson asked.

"Technically, it's a typhoon, but yes, it'll block us from the majority of the winds and rain. Anything that _does_ get in would hardly do anything to us, other than get us cold and wet. We have blankets and can set up a fire, so we'll be fine," Lex said.

Jackson nodded again.

"Good to know. Should we head back?" he asked.

Lex nodded.

_**Jungle...**_

As the two boys crunched through the jungle, they had their minds on other things, and thus, they were unaware of a third set of crunching, until the girl was in sight range.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Melissa asked.

"Not much," Jackson said, obviously a little caught off guard.

Melissa sighed, looking down. She shook herself, before she looked up again.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"Um... nothing," Lex said.

"Is it the same nothing that you two headed out to see last night?" Melissa asked.

They blinked.

"What do you mean?" Lex asked.

"I saw you guys leave the camp last night. What is it?"

The young boy and the young teen started getting _real_ nervous. They had already discussed the serious repercussions of the knowledge that they were building an anti-typhoon shelter. It would cause pandemonium, and they knew it would.

"Ummm..."

Jackson stayed silent, looking down, giving Melissa beyond enough reason to assume the worst. She held her hand to her mouth, covering a gasp, and bolted. Jackson, realizing his mistake, took several quick steps forward, shouting "wait!". It was too late, unfortunately. Melissa could only hear her own choked sobs and the rushing of the wind.

"Sorry, Jackson," Lex said, looking up at him.

Jackson sighed and wrapped an arm around the young boy, pulling him closer into a hug.

"Not your fault," he muttered, "It's mine..."

They hugged for a few moments, then broke it, smiled lightly at one another, and walked out of the forest.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

There is an origin for the word: excruciating. It refers to the pain felt by those the Romans crucified during their reign. That kind of pain must've been unfathomable. One's wrists and ankles were nailed to a cross and the person was left to hang their, totally laid bare before all to mock. The crucified slowly suffocated upon being placed there. It could last hours or days. The utter torment of it was given its own word, which has often been watered down to something meager, like a shot or a bruise.

Ian did _not_ feel his use of the word was watered down, and it was indeed justified, for the most part, as crucification certainly involved a certain level of bone-breaking and torture from there.

Jory snapped to attention, sitting up sharply, alerted by a loud cry of pain from Ian.

"Sonuva _bitch_!"

Jory gasped, looking about.

"What should I do?"

Ian screwed up his eyes for several moments, gasping and perspiring. Shock was settling in for a moment. He shook himself and got over it a moment later.

"I'm fine," he choked out.

"No, you're not!"

"Jory, stop panicking. Breathe slowly, count to 3...," Ian suggested, quietly.

Jory nodded, slowly doing so.

"Okay... I'm better... But, we're leaving _today_, and you'll just have to get over it," Jory said, "You scared me to death, Ian. We have to get to the guys at the beach. Surely they'll be better off."

Ian sighed.

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

Abby dropped a pile of bark, which Eric glanced at as he finished filling up the water bottle.

"How much we got?" Eric asked.

"Enough," Abby noted.

Eric shrugged, and poured in the next batch of water to boil. Abby looked at their three spears, and mentally calculated for a few moments. She walked off, and for several minutes, Eric was left alone with the steaming hiss of the kettle.

Abby walked back into camp, carrying three more sticks, and two bananas. She dropped the sticks by the other three, tossed a banana to Eric, then sat down with her own.

"Thanks," Eric said.

"None necessary. We both have our parts to do."

Abby peeled her banana and began to eat. Eric stared for a few moments, fantasizing, before Abby looked up at him. He immediately shook himself and began eating, choosing to look at the water instead.

_**Campfire...**_

Melissa had gotten back inside her tent and waited for a while, until she knew most of the others had gotten up. They had been greeted by the sights of Lex and Jackson cooking an egg, with a few fruits and clams sitting on their table.

"This egg is Melissa's," Lex said.

"I thought it was Jackson's turn," Daley said.

"It's Melissa's," Lex insisted.

"No, no, we had an order about things. Melissa gets hers tomorrow, then Nathan," Daley said.

Jackson looked her in the eyes.

"It's Melissa's," he said.

Daley bit her lip, along with a comment, and picked up her clam. Melissa looked down for a few moments, until Lex handed her the plate with the eggs. She knew better from earlier than to ask, or make a fuss. She took the eggs and nodded her head.

"Thanks."

"Of course," Lex said.

Jackson flashed a smile that Melissa saw, and she looked down. Jackson took a clam, tilted his head back, and sucked it down. Taylor wrapped her particular clam in seaweed and ate hers like sushi, wielding two twigs as chopsticks. She stayed quiet, hardly even looking up. Melissa thought for a split-second about provoking her, then shook away the thought.

_What's wrong with me...?_

She sighed, sadly, as she ate her eggs.

"What's wrong?" Nathan asked.

"Nothing," Melissa said.

"Err... I was talking to Taylor."

Melissa facepalmed, nodding. She set into her eggs, finishing them quickly.

"Think on what _could_ be wrong with me, Nathan. Surely you'll figure it out," Taylor snapped.

"Jeez, it's just a question," Nathan muttered.

It was a very uncomfortable few minutes, as everyone finished their breakfast. Nathan seemed aggravated with something during this time. He took in a sharp breath a few times, but no one noticed, or, if they did, they didn't ask.

Finally, when everyone was finished, Daley stood up.

"Lex, gather fruit. Taylor and Jackson, fish. We'll just eat whenever you catch something, depending on who's hungry, unless you get something after 10. They should be good for two hours, so long as you don't kill them. Get a bucket of water and keep 'em in there after catching them, but making they can still sorta swim a bit. Nathan, you and I will fetch water."

Everyone nodded and walked off to do their jobs.

"Water and chicken?" Melissa asked.

Daley nodded, grabbing up a jug. She and Nathan walked into the jungle, on the path towards the spring.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Jory came into the structure bearing a load of fruit, which she set down, next to Ian. He grabbed a pineapple.

"Lord, I'm thirsty...," Ian muttered.

Jory grabbed up their knife and stabbed into one coconut, which she handed to Ian, who graciously drank from it. She stabbed a second one, grunting as she did so, with the exertion. She may have gotten experienced at handling the knife, but it still put a strain on her. At least the coconuts didn't crack nearly as often as they used to. She drank all the coconut milk and began eating her pineapple.

Jory had taken several careful bites, getting read of the spines as necessary, before she turned to Ian.

"We could take the boat, a few planks of wood, and we'd be golden. It'd let you move out without getting hurt," Jory said.

"And piss off Bob?" Ian asked, "He's nuts. He'd kill us."

Jory shuddered at the thought.

"Alright, but you need to help me think of something."

Ian sighed.

_**Beach...**_

Nathan had told Daley he needed to get something, then rushed off. Taylor and Jackson were busy fishing, which meant their attention was virtually everywhere at once, and they noticed Nathan immediately.

"What is it?" Jackson asked.

"I've got heat again," Nathan said.

Taylor sighed.

"Borrow one from Daley or Melissa," she said.

"I would, trust me. But they don't have any," Nathan said.

"Alright, fine. But you have to-"

"Wash it twice, I know."

"Not just that one. You have to wash _all_ of my clothes twice."

Nathan sighed.

"Okay, sure. Where is one I can use?"

"It's in my tent. Make sure to get the one you used last time."

"Thanks."

"Wait, how did you even get it this time? You haven't been running about in saltwater in shorts again?"

"No... but yesterday, I ran through the forest. My shorts were rolled up... I felt a bunch of plants brush me. Maybe one of 'em was like poison oak."

Taylor looked at him with disgust.

"Do _not_ touch me. Also, you better be careful with my clothing. Wash 'em three times."

Nathan nodded.

"Alright, cool. I will, no worries. Thanks."

_**Wooded Area...**_

Lex had gotten good with the boomerang.

_Ka-chik!_

A coconut fell.

Scratch that. He had gotten _great_ with the boomerang. All of the pineapples, coconuts, and bananas by him attributed to that. He looked at it and decided to go ahead and put it away. He gathered as much of it as he could and walked off through the jungle.

**F29D**

Daley walked passed Lex with a full water jug, which she set down upon seeing him and registering the sight.

"Where are you going with all of that?" Daley asked.

Lex's response was well planned, after the debacle with Melissa.

"It's some secret rations for emergency usage."

"What? Why?"

"I'm putting them in a place only Jackson and I know about. That way, no one but the most level-headed of the group knows where they're at," Lex said.

"Most level-headed?" Daley asked, obviously irritated.

"Sorry, Dae, but you've been known to lose your cool more often than Jackson and me."

"What about Melissa? She's pretty _level-headed_," Daley spat.

"She's unstable right now with everything... Sorry, Dae..."

Lex looked down at the fruit, sadly. Daley took in a deep breath.

"Okay, whatever... Sorry, Lex... I'll keep up my job, you keep up yours," Daley said, obviously trying to keep calm.

Lex nodded and kept going through the jungle, while Daley picked up her water jug, and kept going down the "spring path".

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

Abby made the final cut, examined the spear, and tossed it into the stockpile, satisfied. She had taken turns between the spears and the bark, as working on the spears rubbed her skin raw, allowing the time working on the bark to let her skin heal up a bit. She usually just waited for the pain to subside, then got back to work on the spears. This lead to there being around sixty bark pieces by the time she finished up the sixth and final spear.

"Eric, wrap up two sets of three spears in vines. That'll make 'em easier to carry," Abby said.

"Alright, just gimme a sec."

He poured in the water, filling up the second canteen.

"Alright, we're good. Both canteens and the bottle of water are filled to the brim. According to the rations of three fruits a day, I've gathered up enough for two days, along with four coconuts, for emergency water. Actually... if we could form a single hole in them... then placed a leaf in the hole to plug them..."

"More water to take with us," Abby said, finishing the thought.

"I'll get on the vines, then I'll gather up about five days worth of fruits... After that, it's coconuts all the way," Eric said, darting off into the forest with his pot.

He came back a few minutes later with a full pot of water, two small sections of vines, and six pineapples.

"This plan is getting better by the minute," he said.

Eric set down the pot on the fire, letting it boil, dropped the pineapples in their stash, then grabbed up the spears.

"So, Abby, how goes the barks?" he asked, wrapping the vines around three spears.

"I'm on number seventy-four," Abby said.

Eric nodded, as he tied a knot in the vine and grunted, tightening it slightly, making sure it wouldn't slip out on its own. He then checked to make sure _he _could slide it out, easily. He slid one of the spears back in and ran off to get some more fruit.

_**Wooded Area...**_

Lex sat in the wooded area, with his boomerang in his lap. He chanted something under his breath, in a form of meditation. There was plenty of fruit for lunch and dinner, and he knew there was enough time to gather fruit for the cave. Heck, there was practically enough to last them all for at least two days, unless they went on some kind of fruit-devouring rampage.

So, he sat there, chanting his mantra, when Jackson walked into the area. After catching a fish, which they cooked and gave to Nathan and Daley, Jackson and Taylor decided to take a break until ten. It was close to nine, now.

"Hey, Lex."

"Hey, Jackson."

"Meditation?"

"Yeah."

"What's your mantra?"

"Freedom, family, happiness."

Jackson smiled.

"That'd be nice," he said, agreeing.

Lex stood up, stretching.

"So, what's up?" Lex asked.

"I'd like to get your help with Melissa. Just... I need to apologize for all my screw-ups lately. I want it to be subtle. Frankly, I can only trust you to help me with this," Jackson said.

Lex nodded.

"Yeah... It may prove difficult, but... I'll help," he said.

Jackson smiled.

"Thanks, little bro," he said, offering his hand to Lex.

They high-fived, and soon the discussion began.

_**Campfire...**_

A certain black-haired girl sighed as she watched the fire crackle and listened to the water roll. She looked at it, noting it was on a "high rollin' boil", and judged it clean. She lifted it off of the fire and onto the sand, letting it go below "plastic melting" temperatures, then gradually poured it into the water bottle. She poured some of the unclean water into the pot, then set it on the fire.

_This damned island... I've been changed by it... for the worse. Why? Desperate situations bring out the best or the worst in people. What has it brought out in me? I should never have snapped at the others. I couldn't stop myself, though. Why? _

She checked over the chicken, making sure it was comfortable, before sitting back down and glancing at the water.

_Jackson was always a source of comfort, a source of strength, but lately... he's been hammering away at what strength I've had. I can't take much more, but I can't let go... Even when I know it'll hurt me, in the end. Even when I can feel the pain stabbing me, I can't pull out the knife._

_It's a certain irony. I always helped cutters to stop, when I could, in one of my volunteer programs. Yet, here I am, psychologically cutting myself, and I can't stop, no matter what. All those others I helped, and I can't help myself._

Melissa sighed again.

_What should I do...?_

"...What _can_ I do?" she demanded of the fire.

It gave her no answer, but then... nothing gave an answer these days. She had to come up with them on her own. It was a harsh realization.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

"Hey, Ian... I checked on our water reserves. We've only got a canteen left. We really need to get going."

"...You sure? I mean, there are coconuts..."

"Yeah, but they're getting harder to find close by. We'll have to move out sometime. The sooner, the better."

Ian groaned.

"Come on... we can stand to wait a little longer."

_**Spring...**_

Daley chuckled upon seeing Nathan walking up with a jug, decked out in a shirt, like earlier, but also wearing...

"Are you _sure_ you're not bi?" she asked.

"It's a rash! Otherwise, I would _not_ wear a skirt," Nathan said.

Yeah, that.

Daley chuckled again, while Nathan rolled his eyes. They approached the spring, and Daley set into filling up the jugs.

"So, what should we do?" Nathan asked, prompting deja vu in Daley.

"Keep filling up the jugs...," Daley responded, prompting a bout of familiarity for Nathan.

"About our relationship."

"What about it? It's fine, as it is," Daley said.

"Yeah... You're right," Nathan said.

His posture suggested about seven levels of nervousness. Daley noticed it, quickly.

"You want sex, don't you?" Daley asked, fixing a look on him.

"Ummm... that's natural, I swear. I mean, not anytime soon, of course... but I mean, after we got off the island, would it be possible...?" Nathan wondered.

"Will you break up with me if I told you I swore a vow of chastity?"

"I doubt it."

"Well I did."

"Okay."

"You're staying with me?"

"Yes."

"Good for you, because I didn't."

Nathan bit back a sigh of relief, while Daley carried off her jugs.

"Though I'm _considering_ it, now," Daley whispered, walking by him, "I'm going to walk for a bit, elsewhere. You can handle it."

It wasn't a question, which was what got to Nathan. He chuckled nervously, as he filled up his own.

_Well, looks like I've got some making up to do._

_**Beach...**_

Jackson reeled in his fishing pole with a hard tug. It brought a large fish out of the ocean with an explosion of water that splashed the fishers, causing Jackson to fall back. The large catch flopped about on the edge of the waters, trying to get back into the ocean. Taylor tried grabbing for it, but it was too quick. Jackson jerked back his pole again, dragging it back.

The fish gasped and flopped violently, as Jackson rushed over to it, half-crawling. He drew out his knife and stabbed into its neck, then ripped. The head came halfway off, and with another crude slash, it was all the way off. Jackson gasped for breath, then nearly retched at all the blood, before he grabbed up the head and tossed it out to sea.

Taylor shuddered at the sight. That was a predatory move on Jackson's part. It was far more animalistic than she expected out of _him_, even. Jackson got to his feet, wiping off some of the blood, gagging for a moment. He grabbed the fish body and held it up.

"Let's cook this now, before it starts rotting. A low flame'll do it good."

Taylor nodded.

"You uhh... you get on that."

Jackson nodded and walked off. Taylor sat down on the beach, gathering herself. That was... slaughter. All the other fish had been a quick catch and kill. The slice was swift and clean. They never fought back. They never seemed that alive, that pitiful. She rocked back and forth, trying to gather herself, as she remembered Eric's words.

_You mean, the same way Jackson and Taylor kill fish so easily?_

If only he could see her now. All torn up over a larger kill than normal. But... that was it, wasn't it? A kill. It had always been so well-hidden from her. It had always been so well-disguised. The fish never showed that much life. She shuddered, desperately trying to pull herself together.

_**Campfire...**_

Jackson hefted the fish onto the ground. Melissa looked at it with vague disgust.

"It's only 10:30..."

"Yeah, but our bucket couldn't hold it. That's too good of a catch to let go. Sorry."

Melissa shrugged.

"I understand. Well, our water is good for a while."

Jackson grabbed up a bottle.

"Thanks," he said.

"It's my job," Melissa said, lowly.

"Yeah, but I'm still grateful," Jackson replied, before taking a sip.

Melissa took the pot off and replaced it with a metal sheet. It stayed a few inches off of the fire, and the fish was laid on top of the sheet, though it laid slightly off of the edges. Jackson quickly fixed that with a few cuts, then put the sliced pieces elsewhere on the sheet.

"I'll take it from here," Melissa said, smiling lightly at Jackson.

She hadn't forgiven him, and he knew that. He cleaned his knife with a washrag and sheathed, before grabbing up another water bottle and heading out.

_**Beach...**_

Jackson came back to see Taylor standing still, with her fishing pole in hand. It hadn't been cast. Jackson's brow knitted together in light confusion. He handed her the second water bottle, before taking a sip of his own.

"Whatcha's waitin' for?" he asked.

"I don't think I can do this anymore..."

"Beg pardon?"

"I can't be a part of this... slaughter... anymore."

"I'd expect that from Abby, maybe Melissa. But from you?"

"What? Just because I'm the apathetic, ditzy prep doesn't mean I love killing animals."

"You never had a problem with it before."

"That was because it never happened... like that."

"You knew there'd be killing when you signed up to fish."

"Not like _that_! _Never_ like that! It had always been quick and clean! Even when I was back home!"

"Life's not quick and clean, Taylor."

"_I know that._ You don't think I knew that? A bisexual girl, even a spoiled one, is fully aware of that. My parents wouldn't accept me for who I am. They think it's just a phase, and ignore any and all signs that I'm in a relationship with a girl. This whole fucking trip has shown me that life's not quick and clean. So _shut up_, Jackson."

Jackson snorted.

"You're acting childish, Taylor."

"Do _not_ talk down to me, mister holier-than-thou Jackson."

"Why did you come here?"

"The _plane crashed_."

"No, not the island. Why did you even come on the trip? I figure Eric just wanted to get away from his parents. You, though... you have no reason to be here. You have every reason to _not_ be here, in fact."

Taylor huffed, crossing her arms. Jackson circled around her, slowly, as he spoke.

"So... why would the "apathetic, ditzy prep" come on a trip, even if she didn't know that we'd get stuck on an island, which would inevitably force her into manual labor and killing fish?"

Taylor looked away for a moment, then back at him.

"My girlfriend. I wanted... I had... to get away from her, if only for a week or so."

Jackson arched a brow.

"Why get away from her?"

"Because I needed to think clearly. When I was around her for more than two minutes, all I could think of was how much I enjoyed being around her. I could never think of any alternative to us being together. It was made worse by the fact that she lived within walking distance, which meant that she could come over daily. And she did. Which meant I never had more than a few hours to even _attempt_ rational thought."

Jackson nodded, understanding.

"So you thought of the trip as a way out, for a little while?"

"Yeah."

"And what conclusion have you come to."

"I'm conflicted. I still don't know exactly what to do, between leave or stay."

"What are the conflicting sides?"

"Staying means my parents may eventually catch us. I'm also not 100 percent sure I really enjoy her company. I mean, I get around her, alone, we get nymph-ish."

"No details, please."

"Like I was going to tell you anything, anyways. Please."

"The other side?"

"Leaving means none of that happiness with her. I feel torn even now, when I shouldn't, since it's not like this crash is my fault."

Jackson nodded.

"Happy, now that you got out my deepest, darkest secret?" Taylor demanded.

Jackson snorted.

"Sure, whatever. Just fish. I'll do the killing."

Taylor snorted.

"I said I won't fish, anymore," she said.

Jackson rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Go back to the batteries, then," Jackson said.

Taylor huffed and stomped off. Jackson sighed and cast his line.

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

There was a relative silence about the camp. Eric had already filled up the water bottle and kettle, along with about five coconuts. A variety of fruits were stacked to the side. They determined that the fruits would all be stashed in the sleeping bag, which they would tote along with them. While it meant little in the way of comfort, it meant a lot more in the way of survival, which was all they were concerned with.

Abby scratched away at her bark pieces, and set down the tenth on a stack.

"Jebas, how many is that?"

"Three hundred."

"...This is Sparta. Tonight we dine in hell. This is where they die. We will fight in the shade."

_**The author... is pleased.**_

"Now that _that's_ out of the way, what exactly do you carve into those markers?"

Abby held a newly completed bark piece, which bore the symbol "Æ". Eric chuckled.

"I mainly determined it from our names, but it was a happy accident that it's an actual symbol."

"What used that?"

"The correct spelling of Caesar does, if memory serves. It was used in _His Dark Materials_, as well."

"What?"

"Do you remember hearing about _The Golden Compass_?"

"Eh... saw it. They supposedly killed God or something in that, didn't they?"

"They killed an angel claiming to be God. But they _did_ have gay angels."

"I get the feeling that's enough to piss off any Christian _anyways_," Eric said, snickering.

Abby nodded.

"In any case, I'll carve about 48 more, giving us 350. Gather up a few more fruits and coconuts, then make sure the water-bearing coconuts are filled fairly well and sealed tightly."

"On it."

This whole "surviving and looking for the others" was a _lot_ more work than he figured it would be.

_But hey... it might get Abby to sleep with me. And that's enough for me._

_**Campfire...**_

"Hey ummm... Melissa?" Lex called out.

Melissa put on a big, false smile upon hearing him.

"Hey Lex. What's up?" she said, watching him sit down across from her.

"Way too much," Lex said with a sigh.

Melissa's smile dropped and she tilted her head.

"Like what?"

"Stupid cupid stuff."

"I'd imagine you'd think of romance as icky, right?"

"I just think it seems odd."

"Oh?"

"Yeah... I mean, so much happens because of weird feelings that no one can adequately explain to me, or else they tell me I'll understand when I'm older."

Melissa sighed, then looked up.

"Well... to me, when I look at him, I feel a certain strength. Like I could take on anything or anyone, and it would be alright in the end."

Lex nodded.

"So then what's the problem?" Lex asked.

"What?"

"I mean, he knows how you feel, and he feels the same. Why is there a problem?" Lex asked.

"Because he likes _Taylor_. I'm too simple, too plain. I can't provide any of the excitement that Taylor can. I'm not even as nice as I used to be... It's a million wonders he even pretended to like me," Melissa replied, glumly.

Lex sighed.

"Well, I'm sure he'll come around. You're still the nicest person on this island," he said.

Melissa blinked at the compliment, unsure of what to say for a few moments.

"...Thanks..."

Lex smiled, stood up, and walked off.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

"Alright, Ian, we're heading out."

"What? Oh, come on... We already had this discussion."

"Put your arm over my shoulders. No David Cop-A-Feel routine," Jory said, jokingly.

Ian sighed, but did as told, as Jory put her own around his shoulders. Jory lifted the both of them up.

"Keep your broken leg up."

Ian made "ch" noise, but nodded.

"Alright, now, you move your good leg on three. One... two... three..."

On one, she put her left foot forward, on two, she put her right foot forward, on three, Ian put his good foot forward.

"Excellent!" Jory declared.

Ian chuckled.

"I've got coconuts and pineapples in my backpack. Let me get it."

Gently, she set Ian down, slipped on her backpack, and they got back into position. They began walking on, once more, leaving behind the Hotel Tango.

_**Campfire...**_

The group gathered around the campfire, attracted to the smell of cooking and alerted by their watches. Taylor sighed upon seeing Nathan. Lex snickered.

"Is everybody bi, now?" Jackson asked, grinning.

"Or are you just Scottish?" Lex asked.

"The latter is more likely than the former, and I'm pure African, thank you very much," Nathan replied.

"How does lunch look?" Melissa asked.

"Great," Jackson said.

"Woah. That is the biggest fish yet. How'd you catch it?" Nathan asked.

"Like every other fish, but with more effort involved," Jackson said with a shrug.

Melissa gave pieces of the fish to everyone on wooden slats.

"Wow, we don't even need fruit with this," Lex said.

"Yeah, let's save the fruit for later. It'll actually be good then," Daley noted.

Everyone agreed and began eating, graciously. Well, almost everyone. Taylor looked at the fish with apprehension. It was hardly recognizable now, but she felt sick, even looking at the cooked piece. She held her mouth for a moment of queasiness.

"You alright?" Nathan asked, covering his obviously full mouth.

"I don't think I can stand fish anymore..."

"Taylor, just don't look at it," Jackson said.

"Like that helps... I don't think I can stand to eat fish ever again," she groaned.

Nathan thought of the jokes Eric would crack about the statement and smiled, looking down.

"Why not?" Daley asked, after swallowing a bite.

"Ugh... I'd rather not talk about it."

The others shrugged and went back to their own meals. Taylor analyzed her plate for a while.

"There's always fruit," Daley said.

Taylor nodded and sighed, setting her plate of fish down on the sand for anyone to grab. She grabbed a pineapple and began eating, slowly.

_**Jungle...**_

Eric huffed and puffed for a moment, before setting down the sleeping bag. Abby looked at him with a brow arched.

"Okay, let's pause for lunch," he said, gasping for breath.

Abby nodded after a moment, and the explorers sat down. They reached into the sleeping bag and pulled out a banana, each. Abby handed Eric one of the coconuts she had been carrying, and he graciously drank from it.

"Don't drink all of it," Abby warned, "Save some for later."

Eric stopped after a moment, obviously annoyed. He corked it and handed it back to her. She placed one back in her pouch, while the other she set down beside her while she ate her lunch. Eric sighed, eating his own lunch as well.

After they finished, Abby fished out more bark pieces, and they continued walking, the pieces dropping every few yards.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

The leaves crunched as the lone inhabitant looked about with scrutinizing eyes. Captain Russel growled ferally, looking about.

_Not here._

_Suspicious._

_Find them._

_Yar!_

Russel took off running into the jungle, hurried by his thoughts. Something was missing, and it wasn't right...

_**Jungle...**_

Jory set Ian down, gently. Jory pulled out a pineapple, which she broke in half.

"We're gonna have to stretch out our meals...," Jory said.

Ian nodded, understanding, as he began eating his half. Jory munched on her half for a while. After a few minutes, they heard sounds throughout the jungle. It was a simple crunching of leaves for a few moments, which caused them to instantly freeze. Then they heard loud panting, interrupted occasionally by growling.

"Bob," Jory whispered.

Ian nodded.

The pair felt the fear creep through the veins as the sounds got louder, until it started fading again. Finally, they couldn't hear it at all. Their heartbeats regulated after a few moments.

"Let's... go," Jory muttered.

They got situated and headed out once more.

**F29D**

Russel growled and panted, seeming to be a wild beast as he dashed through the forest.

_Stupid kids._

_Stole something._

_Must have._

_Wouldn't have run, otherwise._

_But what?_

_Must be precious._

_Must be mine!_

_Filthy kids._

_Wretched kids._

_Must find._

_Must make them pay._

_They must suffer._

_They must die!_

_Die!_

_Die!_

_DIE!_

_**Plane...**_

Taylor had gone back to checking on the batteries after lunch, and Daley approached her, softly. Taylor paused her music and looked at her.

"Is this going to become a daily thing?"

Daley sighed.

"I don't think so... I just wanted to know if you're alright."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Taylor snapped.

"Well... last night. And then, out of the blue, you just say you don't like fish... I mean, you loved sushi, so what made you give it up?" Daley asked.

"Why do you care?"

Daley almost winced at Taylor's rage-filled statement.

"I just... well... I was concerned... Anyways... see ya," Daley half-muttered.

Daley left the beach, hurriedly. Taylor looked up at the sky, then sighed.

"Well... it's nice to know you care... That someone cares...," Taylor whispered.

_**Campfire...**_

"Ya' know, you really need to watch out. You've gotten more rashes than anyone else," Melissa said.

"I know," Nathan said, chuckling, as he sat down.

Melissa looked down, her elbows resting on her knees.

"Just between you and me, skirts are actually enjoyable to wear," Nathan whispered.

Melissa cracked a very small smile for a second, then it dropped.

"What's up?" Nathan asked.

Melissa sighed.

"Nothing, really."

"Melissa, I know you. You have _never_ been this emo," Nathan said.

"Well, maybe this is how I've always felt," she replied, "People hide negative emotions behind a smile more often than you think."

"Well, more likely is that you're just upset over Jackson. Trust me. He's after you, not Taylor."

"How many people are going to say that?"

"How many people will it take to convince you?"

Melissa sighed.

"Just... think on it," Nathan said.

He got up, grabbed an empty jug, and set off into the jungle.

_**Jungle...**_

"So, do you have any idea where we are?" Ian asked.

"Well, I looked at a raggedy map inside the Hotel. It indicated where it was, and where several beaches were. As it happened, my Girl Scout instincts saved the day. I recognized a few landmarks from the closest beach, which is where the others should be camping out at," Jory answered.

"Wow. I've never been more thankful for the Girl Scouts than now," Ian said.

Jory chuckled.

They kept walking, carefully.

"Didn't you sell me cookies once?" Ian wondered aloud.

"Yeah. I'm surprised you remember."

"I'm surprised _you_ remember."

"Well, you answered the door, asked us all for our numbers with a big grin on your face, and then passed us cash for a couple boxes of Thin Mints and Peanut Butter & Chocolate's, acting like it was a big favor."

"What can I say? I liked being joking with door-to-door people."

"I pity the Mormons who came to your house."

"Oh, the Brothers were fun to mess with."

"You're so mean."

"Indeed I am."

**F29D**

"How are we gonna find them?" Eric asked.

"Well, I know we all intended to meet up at this old building that Bob called "Hotel Tango", should we get separated. We were told to memorize all the details around it. I'm fairly sure of its direction for your place. We'll find something I remember and go from there."

"Cool."

They continued walking, Eric bearing the weight of the sleeping bag as quietly as he could.

"Gah."

"You need help with that?" Abby asked.

"Nah... I'm fine," Eric said.

Abby nodded, obviously unconvinced.

_Gotta be a macho man about this. Survivor man, yeah! Oh, sonuva bitch, my back is gonna be _so _screwed up._

Eric winced a few times, as he kept going, making sure to stay silent. His tough guy image was too important to him at that moment for him to get lazy about his job. Even if it was _really_ tempting.

_**Secret Cave...**_

"I met you at school..."

"I acted too cool..."

"You lent a hand..."

"Oh, come on, what am I supposed to do with that?" Jackson asked.

"Ummm... I started a band?" Lex suggested.

Jackson and Lex locked eyes for a few moments, before they started cracking up. Jackson held up his fist, and Lex bumped it with his own. Still chuckling, Jackson sighed.

"Okay... forget the poem. It's... too ridiculous. Not really me at all," Jackson said, shrugging.

"Well, there are handmade gifts."

"There we go... I'm better with handmade art."

"Or singing."

"Serenading Melissa is a _little_ farther than what I'm going for."

_**Not to mention that whole "against the rules" bit.**_

"Yeah, what the Evil Author said," Jackson agreed.

_**Ohhhh... you'd so get it if I weren't focused on tormenting Eric.**_

"Well, what else could I do?" Jackson wondered.

"Coconut bra?"

"That'd get a slap."

"Leaf skirt?"

"Slap."

"Shell necklace?"

"Do you know how to make one?"

"Nope."

"Me neither."

"Songs are the universal gift."

"I'm not wanting an immediate relationship with her. I just want to apologize."

"Well... apology cakes and muffins are out. Sandcastle?"

"We'd need to make sure we have enough time to complete it in secret."

"Well, we could put all the sand in here."

"Buckets?"

"Oh. Right."

"At this rate, it seems that the only way to apologize is to just get on all fours and say it. Christ..."

"I'm pretty sure that the "on all fours" bit isn't necessary."

Jackson sighed.

"Well, I guess... an apology is all I can do for now."

_**Plane...**_

Taylor plugged in another battery and leaned back, content to just soak up the sun. Unfortunately images of Allyson filled her mind. Random snapshots of times together all smushed together. Seeing her again even in her memories made it clear she did in fact love Aly. But that wasn't the problem. The argument they had, the one that convinced Taylor to come on the trip, was about honesty.

At Aly's, Taylor was openly Aly's girlfriend. They talked with her parents about relationship issues and they weren't allowed alone together. At Taylor's, however, Allyson was just another friend. They avoided holding hands and Aly made unpleasant small talk about why she didn't have a boyfriend to Taylor's mother. Ms. Hagan would then tell Allyson about she should find someone like Taylor, and then proceed to drone on about whatever guy Taylor was using as a stand in.

One night Taylor's mom did the unthinkable. She brought a male blind date over for Aly. After that night Aly made a simple ultimatum Taylor was tell her parents or end the relationship. She had said she needed time to think about it, and they went on a break.

She had kept her relationship with Aly a secret from almost everyone. She had carried it around, like a poison coursing through her veins. But... she told the gang; that's a first step, right?

_**Campfire...**_

Melissa threw a small piece of kindling into the fire. It crackled and flames shot up to consume it. She watched the dancing light and settled back into her thoughts. _Have I been changed like that? The old me eaten by the island. Replaced by a new bitchier, colder me. Am I too late to change back? _Melissa liked her old self, and she was going to do what it took to get that her back.

"Starting with Jackson," she resolved aloud to the fire.

Still she did wonder what he was doing. _Was it about relationships? Were they in danger? _

"Step one to retrieving the old me. Stop thinking so much."

Melissa decided to go draw the chicken. Drawing made everything better.

_**Jungle...**_

Eric and Abby paused, and Eric set down the sleeping bag, before he turned and gasped for air. Abby smirked.

"Dear sweet merciful Christ," Eric muttered.

They heard the sound of crunching leaves getting steadily louder, along with panting. In moments, they saw Russel.

"Bob!" Abby called out.

"Punk kids! Give it back!"

_Kill them._

"What?" Abby asked.

_They stole it._

Russel stopped several feet in front of them. They saw his predatory stance and the manic look in his eyes. Eric struggled for a moment, pulling out one of the spears.

_It was precious._

"You punk kids stole it!"

_Must have been._

"Stole what?" Abby demanded.

_Die!_

"You stole it! So give it back!"

_DIE!_

"Bob, what are you-"

"DIE!" Russel bellowed, lunging at Eric.

Eric jumped back, as Russel swung at him. Eric fell on his back as Russel lunged forward again. Time slowed to a crawl.

Russel fell forward due to too much momentum in his wild lunge.

Fueled by accident and instinct, Eric raised his spear up.

Russel made a low groan as the spear entered and exited his throat.

Eric gasped as the blood sprayed on him and the older man fell on him.

_I killed Captain Russel..._

_I... killed him._

_I killed a man._

_I..._

Time sped back up, and Eric screamed.

**F29D**

Jory and Ian walked clumsily through the jungle, when they heard it. The scream seemed to come from nearby, and they could tell it was a guy's voice. That didn't matter to them; those facts barely registered with them. What they noticed about the scream, what truly mattered to them, was that it was the most haunting sound. It was a scream made by a despairing soul.

Adrenaline pumped through their veins and they sped up, half-running, half stumbling through the trees and leaves.

_**Secret Cave...**_

Jackson loaded up a bit more fruit into the cave, then looked over at Lex, who was standing up now.

"Hmm... they'll probably start to wonder where we are. Let's head back to the woods. We'll gather up a bit of fruit, then get back to the camp," Lex said.

Jackson nodded.

"Sounds like a good plan."

Secured in their knowledge that everything would work out, the boys walked on.

_**Jungle...**_

Eric stumbled madly through the woods, Abby following shortly behind him.

"Eric, where are you going!?"

"Anywhere but here! I've gotta get away from here!"

"You did what you had to!"

"I could've lept to the side! I could've rolled away. I could've run... Anything..."

"It was necessary. All of the actions would've lead to _your death._ Bob was batshit insane. There's no way around it."

Eric stopped walking, leaning up against a tree. He turned to Abby and her resolve faltered for a moment. His faces was streaked with tears and splattered with blood. His eyes were hollow and his expression was haunted. He looked half-maddened, almost ghoulish. The shock of his face wore off after a moment, and her resolve became like steel, cold and hard.

"Abby... I don't know anything anymore... Who I am... Who you are... Where we are... I think of it... And I wonder... Why should it matter? When something so horrible just happened like that. Why should I keep going, keep breathing, keep living...?"

Abby drank in the words, but didn't let them affect her.

"Why? Because I need you to help me find my friends. Because you need to get back to your parents, who miss you."

Eric's eyes squinted for a moment, and his brow furrowed.

"Parents don't care..."

"Your friends do, damn it."

"What friends?"

"Me, for one. Taylor's your friend, I bet."

"She abandoned me."

_No, I didn't. God, Eric, you're so slow._

Eric looked to the side, where for a second, he saw a flash of blonde hair. The illusion dissipated and he refocused on Abby.

"-as it may, Taylor probably only did it to stay with her family. You wanted to leave it for a while. She couldn't handle that. Do you know why?"

Eric shook his head, in a brain-dead manner.

"Because she was weak. She can't handle what is necessary to _really_ survive. You know what had to happen. She didn't. You are strong, Eric, and that is why you will keep going, keep breathing, and keep living. Do you understand me?"

Eric blinked a few times, shaking his head a little bit.

"Y-yes..."

Abby walked over to him, and he blinked once or twice, before standing upright on his own. He hugged Abby briefly, who tensed up at the display of emotion. Eric let go and smiled briefly at her, before turning around to head off again.

"Guys!"

_Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!_

Abby turned to the noise and her fact lit up. Jory and Ian dashed in, half-stumbling. They stopped at the sight of Abby and stared. After a moment, a grin broke out on Jory and Ian's face.

"Abby, oh my god, it is so good to finally find you again!" Jory cried out.

"How've ya been?" Ian asked.

"Not great, but it's been getting better," Abby said, smiling at her friends, no, her _family_.

"Hi guys...," Eric said, looking dazed.

"Eric?" Jory asked.

"Yup..."

"Did the camp break up?" Ian asked.

"Nope... Just me," Eric said.

His smile was false and his eyes were hollow, with the barest flickers of light. Jory and Ian barely noticed something was off, but they did notice. They were too distracted by the discovery of their third family member to really, truly care at the time, though.

"Ian, what happened to your leg?"

"Eh, don't worry. It broke after a nasty fall in the Hotel Tango. I'll be fine."

Abby sighed, shaking her head.

"Well, we need to survive, and Eric set up a settlement close by. We'll follow the bark pieces."

"So, Abby, what all happened out here, after we were split apart?" Jory asked.

Abby recanted her dark tale as they walked back to the settlement.

_**Campfire...**_

The sun had fallen, and that was the cue for everyone to start heading back for dinner. Melissa had a few things of fish that were busy cooking over the fire. She flipped them about, making sure they were all cooked evenly, before judging they were done. Jackson walked into the area first. He looked around to see no one but Melissa and silently thanked God for his good fortune.

_**You're WELCOME.**_

Jackson walked over to Melissa, who glanced at him before turning back to the fish and setting the slices of meat on plates.

"Melissa..."

"Yes, Jackson?"

Jackson briefly contemplated getting on all fours, before he took in a deep breath and continued.

"I need to apologize... for everything I've done... I know it's hurt you, and I need to make it up to you..."

"Jackson, listen..."

Jackson's mind, which had been suppressing panic at the whole idea of this, couldn't surpress it any longer. He dropped to his hands and knees. Melissa looked down at him with surprise.

"Jackson, what are you doing?"

"Begging for forgiveness."

"Well... ummm... stop. It's... ummm... not... necessary. You don't have to."

Jackson cursed himself mentally and stood up, warily.

"Now listen. I'll... give you a chance. To explain."

Jackson was _really_ conflicted over what he had to do. He wanted so horribly to tell Melissa, but he knew that Lex was right. It would cause pandemonium. Melissa had let things slip before. So, he decided not to lie, but not to tell the whole truth either.

"What it is... it's a secret project. Lex and I are setting up something. We don't want it getting out, so we can't tell anyone. But... it's not some rinky dink gift to anyone. It's important. Please don't worry about it. Please don't tell anyone about it. And please... forgive me for not explaining earlier."

"Hush. Jackson... don't worry about it, alright? I'll forgive you."

Jackson sighed in relief.

"Melissa... thank you..."

Melissa put her finger to his lips. Her eyes became fierce.

"However, Jackson, do not mess this up. I know what it means to burn. It's how I begin to learn. And all those burns have taught me not to keep going back to something that hurts you."

Jackson nodded, solemnly.

A few moments later, Taylor walked in and sat down.

"So, what's there to eat...?"

"Fish or fish," Jackson said, smiling lightly at Melissa.

"Ugh. I'll starve, then."

Daley walked into the camp and looked at the fish.

"Mmm... looks good."

"Do we have any fruit?" Taylor asked.

"Lex stockpiled some, I think," Daley said, sitting down, "Yeah... it's over there."

She pointed to small pile of fruits. Taylor walked over to it and grabbed up a pineapple, then sat down next to Daley.

"Hey... Daley...," Taylor started.

Lex walked in and snagged his plate of fish, before sitting down and digging in.

"Yeah, Taylor?"

"I want to apologize for earlier... I should've been nicer... since you were just concerned."

"It's fine, Taylor."

Taylor smiled lightly and scooted away as Nathan walked in. He grabbed his own plate and sat on the other side of Daley.

"Hey, ummm... about today...," Nathan muttered.

"You're forgiven... Just... we'll talk more later."

The 29ers ate and chatted a little, then Nathan looked out towards the sea.

"Those storm clouds are kinda freakin' me out," he said.

"Well, I mean, they could easily clear up at any point. They probably will. No need to worry," Lex said, shrugging.

Nathan shrugged, then finished off his meal. Gradually, they all did. With full stomachs and a full day, they fell asleep quickly enough.

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

The fire glowed lowly in the darkness, causing the explorers gathered around to be cast in eerie shadows. Jory and Abby sat up straight, while Eric was hunched, and Ian was laying down, with a new splint over his broken leg. He seemed to be half-asleep.

"So, what's the plan for now?" Jory asked.

"Survive. We have shelter and food. We can kill more, if necessary," Abby said, nonchalantly.

Eric seemed to twitch at the statement.

"You okay?" Jory asked.

Eric shrugged.

"Don't worry about it, alright? It happened. In the past," Abby said.

"Don't worry about what?" Jory asked.

"I... k-killed..."

Eric's quivering voice trailed off into oblivion. Abby picked up where Eric left off.

"Bob."

"Wha?" Ian asked, groggily.

"Bob ran at us, crazier than the Joker. He attempted to kill Eric. Eric defended himself and killed Bob."

"I... didn't want that..."

"Eric, don't be stupid. It was the only thing you could do."

"He _killed_ Bob?" Jory asked.

Ian sat up and stared at Eric.

"I didn't want to!"

"He had to, Jory. Calm down."

"Bob is dead!?" Ian demanded.

Abby nodded.

Jory choked out a sob, while Ian laid back down, his eyes wide with horror and sorrow. As tears streamed down Jory's face, a scream built up in Ian's throat. All of his pain, physical and emotional, was expressed in the ghastly scream that rippled out across the woods, echoing between the trees.

Abby's thoughts went back to Eric's cry of horror as comparison, then realized there was no comparison.

Ian's scream was filled with emotion, and it gave her chills.

But Eric's...

It was filled with pure terror.

It had chilled her very blood.

Ian's scream displayed a deep sadness and rage.

Eric's scream displayed something far worse.

It was the rending of his very soul.

* * *

**End of Chapter Five**


	6. The Calm

_**The Calm...**_

_**...or...**_

_**Secrets, Brutality, and Pacman**_

_**Firstly, it is of note that this story is now "M". Yes, "M". I didn't exactly foresee it happening, but upon review, and after new details rising up and being potential plot points (some of which are CONSIDERABLY darker than T merits), Mel and I decided to up the rating on this story. You are warned. Cursing, blood, sex, and anything else may be used (...not so likely on the sex, but whatever).**_

_**A No-Prize will be given to the person who gets the reference in this chapter. (Hint: It pertains to Russel.)**_

_**Also, there is something called The Game. There is no way to win The Game. You just lose. How? By thinking of it. Yes. Thinking of The Game makes you lose The Game. I'm here to spread the joy. **_**:D.**

_**Campfire...**_

"What was that?" Jackson demanded, crawling out of his tent.

The other campers stood out of their tents, half groggy and half frightened. They huddled around the smoldering ashes, looking around.

"What was that scream?" Daley asked.

"It sounded like an animal," Nathan said.

"A wounded one," Melissa said.

"That was no animal...," Lex said.

"Then what was it?" Daley asked.

"That was a human."

"What?" Nathan asked.

"A human?"

"That noise?"

"What kind of human could make that noise?"

"How would you know?"

"Because it's the same sound my mom made... when dad died. That scream I heard the night after the funeral terrified me... The scream we heard earlier... It sent that same chill through me. Someone's dead... Somebody died out there. It could've been Abby... or Jory... or Ian... or Eric... maybe even Russel."

Shocked silence rippled through the group. Jackson was the first to speak up.

"This island's looking more dangerous by the second... perhaps we should try learning how to defend ourselves. Learn how to kill if necessary."

"Kill?" Taylor asked.

"I know _you're_ not-"

"I am _not_ learning how to-"

"Taylor," Lex said.

"-kill _anything_."

"I dunno... I'll learn self-defense," Nathan said.

"Are you serious?" Taylor demanded.

"Taylor, chill out. Jackson is only looking out for our best interest. On this island? I wouldn't mind learning how to fight," Lex said.

"Lex, _no_," Daley said.

"Why not?"

"Just _no_. I will put up with a lot of things, but you will absolutely _not_ be learning how to fight."

"But-"

"Lex. Listen to your sister," Jackson said, sternly.

Lex nodded, sitting down.

"So. Who's in?" Jackson asked, suddenly.

Taylor crossed her arms and sat down.

Nathan stepped forward.

"I'm in."

Daley nodded.

"Me, too."

"I'm... up for it...," Melissa said, meekly.

Jackson gave her an encouraging smile.

"Alright, guys... we've got a plan. We'll be waking up early in the mornings for a jog. It'll help you keep fit. Lex and Taylor could join in."

"I'll pass," Taylor growled.

"I'll do it."

Daley sighed, but thought of what a wise girl back at school would say.

_Let him be somewhat satisfied. Otherwise, his hunger will make him go against your orders._

She silently thanked Wendy's wisdom and nodded.

"I guess a jog's alright."

Jackson nodded, smiling lightly, obviously thankful. Melissa yawned, and Taylor soon followed suit.

"I think we need sleep," Daley said, quickly, noting their yawns.

Everyone murmured their agreements, or simply nodded, before going back to bed.

_**Next Morning, Campfire...**_

It was at least an hour before the sun rose, yet still, a certain black haired boy stood next to the fire, looking out towards the sea. He stayed there, thinking of home and the mother he was denied from seeing. After a few minutes, he shook himself.

Steadily, he peeked in each tent and awoke everyone, calling them to get up. Taylor was the only one who rolled over and went back to sleep. They all lined up next to the campfire, yawning and stretching. Jackson took in a deep breath, before turning around to face them.

"Alright, guys. Time to jog. Try your best to keep with my pace, but don't push yourself, okay?"

Everyone mumbled various agreements or just nodded silently. Jackson smirked, turned around, and set out. The rest followed for the brisk exercise. It was about 30 minutes later when they came back, some huffing and puffing, others lightly breaking a sweat.

"Good job, guys. This was just a test, a way to break you in. Tomorrow will be a little bit tougher, and it'll keep going like that. For now, let's eat," Jackson announced.

Taylor looked up at them, an egg cooking.

"You wanted it scrambled, right?" she asked, looking at Nathan.

"Umm... yeah. Thanks."

"I figured I needed something to do."

"Jogging helps you keep fit," Lex pointed out.

Taylor shrugged.

The rest of the group sat down and began eating their breakfast, silently, trying to get back their energy. When they finished, Daley stood up.

"Alright, so, we need to figure out when Jackson come around and give us each personal instruction," she said, "And we need to get jobs straightened out. Taylor, are you comfortable with fishing?"

"..._No._"

"Okay then. Nathan and Lex, we have a good amount of fruit, so I want you guys to fish today. At some point, Lex, you should go ahead and gather a few fruits, just for a bit of help."

The boys nodded.

"I'll keep the water coming. Melissa, you keep boiling and looking over the chicken."

"Thought so."

"Jackson, make a few spears. I'll want you to go around for most of the day and give a few lessons at your own discretion. However, I also want you to help everyone with their chores, as you're teaching them, if you could."

Jackson shrugged, "Shouldn't be too difficult."

Taylor arched an eyebrow, "And me?"

Daley sighed.

"Charge the batteries."

_**Eric's Settlement...**_

Jory yawned as she sat up. Ian smiled at her.

"Good morning, Jory. What lovely weather we're having today."

She chuckled, smiling back.

"...Well, why?" Eric asked.

Jory and Ian looked over to see Eric and Abby picking fruit at one of the nearby trees.

"I'm just saying, you should consider your survival a bit more. Yes, I understand missing family," Abby said.

"I know... It's just... Hm? What... Hey, Tay."

"Tay?"

"Hm? Oh... Sorry. Zoned out, I guess. I guess we should start preparing for survival today. Get everything in order. Make sure we can do what we need to."

"Exactly."

Eric stopped for a moment, and seemed to be interacting with someone. He held out his arms, then enclosed the invisible figure for a few moments. Abby stared, an eyebrow raised.

"Eric?"

Eric shook himself and turned around.

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were just hugging someone."

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were. I just saw you."

"No, I wasn't. I was picking up fruit."

Abby nodded in an obvious "yeah, right" way. Eric huffed, but got back to picking fruit. He stopped for a moment and ran his hand along his cheek. He growled lowly.

"What's up, now?" Abby asked.

"I haven't had a razor in a few days. Getting all... stubbly."

Abby shrugged after examining it for a few moments, with a weird gleam in her eye. She shook her head, then went back to her picking. Eric joined her after a few seconds.

After a few moments, Jory and Ian's attention drifted back towards each other. They made a few pathetic attempts at conversation, before finally Ian hit gold.

"Do you remember how you sprained your ankle...?" Ian asked.

"I twisted it on a tree root. Bob carried me for the rest of the day."

"He always did everything he could to help us."

"I always remember wondering how we always managed to never go hungry. Then I found out we didn't," Jory said.

"We didn't?"

"Not all of us."

Ian looked at her, questioningly.

"Bob went hungry a lot. He always said that he had already eaten, but he was lying. Bob half-starved himself just to keep us well-fed. When I found out, I cut back."

"I remember that. You always said you were full a bit quicker than normal after a while. Bob always snorted and rolled his eyes, but would take your food. I never realized..."

"He didn't want us to."

"What?" Ian asked, incredulously.

"Bob didn't want recognition for what he did. He always seemed harsh, but he was really and truly... a good guy," Jory answered, looking down.

"Hey... do you remember him telling us about some of his older days?"

"Back when he was a janitor? Yeah. Shermer High School, wasn't it? What was that one kid who always joked around that he really liked?"

"Oh him? That was John something... Bender, I think."

"Yeah, that's right. John Bender. Always in Saturday School..."

They went silent for a while.

"Ya' know... last night was kind of appropriate."

Ian looked at Jory, with confusion.

"Your... scream..."

Ian bit his lip, looking down with shame.

"Well, I mean... in Star Trek, the Vulcans did that. When a Vulcan warrior died... ummm... his friends would scream to the heavens."

Ian looked up at Jory, smirking.

"Gotta geek up everything, eh?"

Jory blushed and looked down.

"No... it's sweet. Cool, really."

Jory smiled, looking back up.

"Really?"

Ian nodded.

"Yeah. Bob was a warrior. And ya' know... we can't give him a Viking funeral, but we can give him a proper burial. We should."

Jory's eyes widened at the prospect.

"We should!" she shouted, agreeing happily.

Ian smiled, laying back down.

_**The Beach...**_

The two boys, one a teen and one still a boy, stood in the shallows of the water, their shoes and socks back a few feet, towards the beach. Nathan cast out his line, then Lex. They stood silently for a few minutes, staring out over the ocean.

Finally, Nathan broke the silence.

"So... Lex... Ummm... what do you think... about me and Daley?"

Lex remained silent for a few moments, while Nathan stood there, awkwardly.

"I think that I'm glad that she's happy," Lex said, calmly.

Nathan breathed out in relief.

"But I also think that your life on the island will get a lot rougher if you break her heart," Lex stated, just as calmly.

Nathan gulped. Lex was definitely scarier than most eleven year olds. The fact that Jackson seemed to have adopted him as a little brother didn't hurt matters any. Nathan made a quick promise to ensure he did everything possible to keep Daley as uplifted as possible.

The boys continued fishing for a few minutes, then a new figure approached them. Nathan looked back and nodded.

"Hey, Jackson... sup?"

"You've got training instructions."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Basic stance. Now, stand carefully and imitate me."

Jackson kept his legs at around two feet from one another, in a fairly rigid stance. He raised his right arm and bent it, so that his fist was over his chest. His left arm went by his side, positioned so that his left fist was protecting the side of his head.

"This stance allows your left hand to be defensive. Your right hand, however, can snap out in a jab or whatever you need. It's a basic stance. I want you to try and get that stance into your mind. Make it an automatic reaction."

Nathan nodded.

"There will probably be a mass fighting lesson tonight at dinner. For now, work with the stance. Maximize your ability to punch, using it."

Nathan nodded again.

"Will do."

Jackson and he bumped fists, then Jackson walked off. Nathan practiced the stance for a few minutes, while Lex kept fishing.

_**Campfire...**_

Melissa had obtained an odd stick, in that it looked similar to the the Egyptian staves, with the crook. She dubbed it hers and and no one challenged this. She used her Egyptian rod (she called it Bastet, and had made a small scratching of a cat on it) to push the sticks around on the fire, making sure it used every bit of what it was supposed to, yet didn't just flare up.

She tossed a stick on the fire, then nudged it a bit with Bastet, before walking over to the chicken. She kneeled down beside it, rubbed its head for a few moments, and tossed a light amount of the chicken feed that Lex had gathered. Melissa wasn't one hundred percent sure of the contents, but she knew she wouldn't like it, judging by the smell.

With those chores temporarily out of the way, she set back to look over the water. After a few minutes, Jackson walked by.

"Alright, Melissa, I know you're not terribly up for fighting, but... you should at least know a few things on defense."

"I'm willing, Jackson."

Jackson nodded.

"Okay. Now, I've got Nathan working on punches, because that's what he's best at. I'll get him into grappling, later. Girls, generally, need to use their legs in combat."

"Why's that?"

"Generally speaking, girls are physically weaker. Long range and speed is what you need to get an advantage on the boys. Become more graceful, learn endurance, and try to get better at kicks."

Jackson stood beside Melissa, reared back on one leg, and kicked out.

"Imitate that, slowly."

Melissa did so, though her form was flawed. She nearly fell over, and would have, if Jackson hadn't grabbed her waist. They blushed lightly and Jackson let go.

"You're leaning your body back a bit too far. You need more balance."

Melissa nodded, then tried again.

"Your leg shouldn't extend all the way."

"Why not? I get the most reach that way."

"Yeah, but if you make direct contact with something hard, while you leg's fully extended... It causes massive damage, let's put it like that."

Melissa nodded, thinking that the physics seemed to check out, based on what she knew of the spine's curve's necessity, as it's meant to soak damage. Same principle, right? She snorted at the anime-style reasoning.

_**Hey, anime reason is awesome.**_

_It's not always cor-._

_**DO NOT QUESTION ODA OR KUBO, WOMAN.**_

Melissa shook her head and kicked out. Jackson smiled and nodded.

"That's a basic power kick. You'll need to work on it, some. Maximize its speed and strength. When you're good with it in the air, try kicking trees. After that, I'll try and teach you some follow-ups to it and a few other styles of kicking."

Melissa nodded, and Jackson smiled.

"I'll probably teach you those things after dinner, alright?"

"Alright. See ya."

The two paused for a moment, before Jackson walked away and Melissa sat down.

_**Plane...**_

Taylor twirled a piece of her hair. Curling and uncurling it against her pointer finger. For the second time since they crashed Taylor felt completely alone. The first time was just after the storm. The complete disbelief. The shock. The horror of that day was the exact same feeling she had now. Someone was dead. Dead. Gone. Didn't any of them care? Didn't they realize that it could happen to them too?

She found herself pleading that it wasn't Eric. Or that Lex had been wrong. Or that this was all just a dream. Yeah, that's it. Soon she would wake up, right next to Aly. And she'd march downstairs and tell her parents that she wasn't going on this stupid trip. That she and her girlfriend, Allyson, were going to Switzerland, and that was final. Taylor yanked out the strand of hair she'd been playing with.

"Ow."

It wasn't a dream. She'd still tell her parents about Aly, though.

_**Spring...**_

Daley bent down slightly enjoying the excess weight as the water filled. She preferred difficulties she could organize and attack. That was the problem with everything around here lately. It was so out of control. Out of her control.

Daley lifted the first jug and set it on the ground, replacing it with the empty and allowing to fill slowly. She was glad for the free time. If only to give her a minute to think about this whole thing with Nathan. She wished there was someone to talk it out with, but choices were kind of slim.

Jackson was likely to have a sexual past that she didn't even want to know about... besides, a guy wouldn't be Daley's first pick to begin. Melissa was sweet and all, but she didn't have the greatest track record when it came to private information. Lex was her brother, which left Taylor... That was a major "yeah right", leaving Daley back where she started.

She found herself thinking of Hank, from school. She wished he were here. He could give her some insight on Nathan. They had bonded over some fight with a sidewalk, as Nathan explained it, and had been good friends ever since. It made since, really, now that Daley knew Nathan better. They were both dependable, zealous.

Daley looked down, only to realize she had dropped the second jug. It floated a few feet away, but Daley just kept leaning forward a little further. She lost control of her balance and tumbled forward entering the water with a good splash.

"Could you guys get any more cruel?"

_**I could have gotten water in your mouth. **_

_**Mel, I thought **_**I**_** was the Evil Author around here!**_

Daley left the authors to argue it out as she picked up both of her jugs (the second one only half-filled, though she didn't care) and headed out.

_**Jungle...**_

Twigs snapped and leaves rustled as the pair slipped through the woods, carefully. They followed the stench, as it grew steadily stronger, until they finally arrived upon the scene of Eric's shame and horror. On the ground laid Russel's body, already showing signs of decomposition. The forest made fast work of her meals. Abby's lip curled at the sight and stench of the starting-to-rot corpse. Eric's eyes widened, he fell to his palms and knees, and he screamed the scream of a madman. He looked up the sky, pulling at his hair, his hat lost in the fray.

Abby picked up his hat and, in a moment of disgust for the weakness Eric displayed, reared back and kicked him in the side. Eric was sent skidding along the ground, moaning in pain. The boy, now rubbing his side, with dry eyes, looked up at Abby, apologetically, like it had truly been his fault for getting kicked and that he needed to be punished for it...

In that moment, the walls were down. It was as if their eyes were opened. They were no longer monsters, and they looked at what they had become. The two had lost themselves. Somewhere on the island, the invisible corpses of their humanity were dead and buried.

"Eric...I...," Abby began frantically.

"No... my fault."

"No, really, I'm sorry."

Eric bit his lip for a moment, contemplating what next to do. He gently stood up.

"We... we need to get him to his grave site..."

Gently, carefully, they picked up Bob on opposite ends, and slowly, cautiously, carried him towards the Hotel Tango. They set him down in the middle of the safe house and began to dig.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Ian stood slanted on the makeshift crutch much like Abby's and cleared his throat. He had little idea what to say. There were no songs, no religious figures to read Scriptures, just him and his words to honor a man's life. The thought and the stench of decaying flesh made him ill.

"I knew Bob Russel only a few weeks. We originally blamed him for our situation instead of seeing him just like us. A victim."

He paused, remembering.

"Bob was a good man. A self-sacrificing man. We were fortunate to have known him. It could have been any one of us we were burying today."

Jory simply whispered, "Thank you. Goodbye," before they two broke down and cried.

A long moment of silence followed, concluding the short funeral of Captain Bob Russel, a man who died in the company of former strangers that were, in some ways, more like family than anyone he ever had at home.

_**F29D Diaries...**_

"Decent lunch. Not much fish today, but oh well. Lex and me can catch some more later. Speaking of the little braniac, something was up with him and Jackson. They kinda... looked at each other. It was like one of those weird understanding moments. They're planning something, I bet..."

He seemed to think for a few moments, before continuing.

"Daley said she wanted to talk to me. I think I might know what that was about..."

- Nathan

"Maybe I should get back to fishing. Nathan and Lex caught a small fish today. Heh. Luck and prayer help, I suppose." There was a brief sigh from the troubled teen as he seemed to compose himself. He looked up with a slight smile. "Melissa was a bit nicer to me. That's good. But... Taylor was silent. I'll bet she was thinking about Eric again."

- Jackson

"I'm about to settle this whole sex thing with Nathan soon. I'll tell him how I feel about it, and he may not like it, but I've gotta do this soon."

- Daley

"Where is Eric? I swear... I've seen him once. I have no idea right now if he's out there, suffering, all because I didn't go with him. If that's what happened... I could never forgive myself."

- Taylor

"I'm starting to worry about Eric. It's been 4 days since we've seen him. I'm starting to worry if we'll survive. I'm starting to worry about too much. When I realized that, I also realized that I couldn't keep worrying about Jackson. I've forgiven him. Whatever happens... happens."

- Melissa

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Eric gently nibbled at his food, looking around shiftily. Abby ate quickly, but carefully, looking up at the sky. She observed it carefully, listening to its signs. It spoke to her of storms, dangerous things of sound and power, thunder and lightning.

"There's a storm. A typhoon, it looks like," she said.

"Typhoon... that's like a hurricane?" Ian asked.

"Exactly like a hurricane, just the name for it out here," Jory said.

"That hole is now our saving grace," Abby said.

"But it's his grave," Ian looked disgusted and horrified.

"It will be yours too if don't do something."

"But...," Jory trailed off, staring at the would-be grave.

"Survival's about doing everything for you. Die if you want to, but I am using this hole."

"You can't!" Jory protested. "It's Bob's..."

Abby stood and walked over to Jory in cool even strides. Eric looked at her, curiously.

"Who's going to stop me?"

Her voice was as cold as the Arctic.

"You?"

She pushed Jory, who, totally unprepared for it, fell sprawling to the floor.

"That's what I thought."

Jory stood, shaken, brushing herself off.

"Abby...what's happened to you?"

"I made the choice to live. Bob did his best to help you. He ended up dying for it. If you really wish to honor him, then make that choice, too. Make the choice to live. Live and get back to your families."

Out of the blue, Eric burst into song.

"¡Es un día a estrenar, y el sol es alto! ¡Todos los pájaros están cantando que usted va a morir!"

Jory looked at him, understanding, "It's a... brand new... year? No, day... the sun is ummm... high... All the... pajamas... Oh, wait. All the _birds_ are singing... that you are going to... going to die?"

Everyone slowly turned to look at him. He looked around for a few moments. Then, inexplicably, he began to run. He picked up various fruits as he ran, and occasionally dropped one, but didn't bother to look back or get them again. Abby, Jory, and Ian stared. He made a sharp turn back towards the group, before running once more, picking up various things and steadily dropping them.

Abby quirked a brow at the odd display.

"We can't move Ian out of the way that fast," Jory said, panicked.

"I'll stop him," Abby said.

She took a step towards Eric, who made a sharp turn to the left.

"Avoid the purple ghost..."

"Purple ghost?" Abby asked.

"Grab him before he gets out of camp! Who knows what'll happen with him like this?" Jory shouted.

Abby sneered, but did as suggested. She bolted and easily overtook Eric. Funnily enough, with one tap, he went down. Abby hesitated, and took a step back.

"Eric?"

Just as quickly, he jumped to his feet and he continued running.

"Damn ghosts..."

Abby quirked a brow once more.

"Seriously, what the hell...?" she muttered.

Again, she touched him and he fell. He stood up once more, but this time, she grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.

"Eric... what the hell... are you doing...?" Abby growled.

"Wha... I'm tired... why izzat?"

"Because you've been running around muttering about ghosts for the passed five minutes."

"I did dat?"

"Yeah. Yeah ya did. You're freaking me out, Eric."

"I'm sorry, babe..."

"Babe? Oh, hell no. I'm _no one's_ babe. Got it?"

"Sorreh... s'eepy..."

Abby grunted, but let him out of the hug, and lead him back to the others.

_**The Beach...**_

Nathan felt a good tug on the line. He turned slightly and dug his heels in. He reeled and let out, feeling caught in the moment. It flopped on the beach and he speared it, trying not to focus on it too much.

Luckily Lex brought him out of his thoughts, "Daley's coming this way, should I give it to her to take back to camp?"

"You might want to take it."

"Why?"

"Daley might want to talk about us. Her and I. Where were at in our relationship. Whether we should have sex."

Nathan was indeed nervous about the impending discussion, though he didn't show it, much. Besides he wasn't sure if it was right to say that to Lex.

As if the smaller boy had read his mind Lex said, "Not many people would have been that honest to a kid."

"I knew you could handle it."

He ruffled Lex's hair playfully.

"Now get this back to camp."

Lex dashed off, smiling that he had been trusted, and more than happy to get away from that conversation.

"What was that about?" Daley asked.

"Nothing," Nathan casted his line again, trying to be generally nonchalant.

He didn't want this to be any more awkward than it needed to be.

"Okay," Daley said.

She paused, collecting herself, trying to determine the best way to start.

"No. Wait. It's not okay. We need to talk."

"About?"

"Us. Where we're going."

"We're stuck on island. We aren't going anywhere," Nathan smirked.

"I meant about sex. I know we're in agreement about no relationships on the island. It would make everything more difficult."

He nodded and she continued.

"But I am not sure about immediately after we get home either. They'll be a ton of adjusting and we shouldn't put more stresses on ourselves. Besides I'd like to actually get a real date or two in first. Just so we're clear. I am totally sure about my feelings for you. I just want us to have a real start. If we rush into sex, we'll always be wondering why we're together."

He stared at her intensely before replying, "Does Red Lobster sound good to you?"

"Excuse me?"

"For our first date."

Realization dawned on Daley and she continued the joke, "no more seafood. Let's go for Italian."

"It's a date."

They both smiled comfortable for the first time in a long while.

_**Jungle...**_

Lex had gone to give Melissa the fish, then when he knew we was out of sight range, he ducked into the trees. He weaved and ducked amongst the trees in a semi-stealthy, semi-quick dash. He ended up in an area of the woods that had five trees in an exact pentagon. He looked around for a few moments, then smiled when he saw Jackson walking up.

"Hey, Jackson," Lex said.

"Hey, Lex."

"You wanted to meet?"

Jackson nodded.

"I know that Daley said that you aren't allowed to fight, but... well, I can't agree with that. There's dangerous stuff out here. I grew up in a rough neighborhood, and I can always tell when something bad's about to happen."

Lex nodded.

"In the end, though, the choice is yours. Do you want to learn how to fight?"

Lex thought for a moment, then nodded.

"I'll need the lessons, for anything, really. Anything could come up."

Jackson nodded.

"Alright then. Seeing as how you picked the red pill, I'll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. To the cave," Jackson said.

Lex smiled and followed him.

_**Campfire...**_

"Got another one."

Nathan flopped the fish down next to Melissa.

"Can we pretend you didn't?"

With Eric gone Melissa had been given fish cleaning duty. A task she didn't particularly enjoy. But really there was no one else to do so. Taylor was flaking, Daley was on water duty, Jackson was busy, and Lex didn't know how. Not that Daley would have let him near the knife.

"You know the answer to that. Besides we need dinner."

"Do me a favor? Don't call it 'dinner' until it cooked and in chunks." Mel smiled slightly and continued, "You know how before we crashed I loved Mahi Mahi. I'll never eat it again."

"Forget other fish. I want some pizza. Nice, hot, cheesy..." He made the pantomime of eating a slice when he's cut off mid action.

"Subject change please," Mel begged.

"Fine. Where's Lex?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him or Jackson. Why?"

Nathan gave her a goofy smile, "You told me to switch subjects."

Melissa swatted at him, but he was already out of her reach.

_**Plane...**_

Taylor was back to doing more nothing with no one. She was alone and lonely and annoyed. She found herself wishing Eric were here; he'd be ready for fun. Eric. The return of him to her mind brought a cloud of sadness. Much like the dark, growing unaware above the girl's head.

Where was he?

What was taking so long?

Aly would call this spiraling. Though, last time this happened it was because her dress didn't match her shoes... but still, Taylor was spiraling.

She chuckled slightly, thinking about how Aly would react to her new found vegetarianism. Aly would want them to start a trend, to diss meat eating girls and chubby freaks. That veggies were the newest diet trend. Yeah, that was Aly alright.

_**Secret Cave...**_

Lex threw several punches in quick succession. Jackson nodded, looking him over. Lex's innate sensibility and intelligence allowed him to almost immediately catch on to the appropriate form for his height. They quickly agreed that Lex's fighting style should rely on his small size, and go for attacking weak spots of the human body. Jackson knew a few from experience, and Lex knew a few from rainy days on Wikipedia. Together, they had formed his fighting style, and he was working on it with their free time.

"Alright, now then, Lex, you need to punch a bit more like this. The way you're doing it damages your own fist a bit more than this," Jackson said, demonstrating the punch a few times, then doing it slower.

Lex nodded, examining him, and began again.

"Well, I know who not to mess with," Nathan said, walking into the cave.

Jackson and Lex looked at Nathan with "deer in a headlights" expressions for a few seconds.

"Hey, Nate, what's up?" Jackson asked, calmly.

"Well, aside from the obvious jokes, you're training Lex. Daley said, specifically, not to."

"Don't pull an Eric on us. We'll tell her ourselves," Jackson said.

"No, no, I don't plan on blackmailing you. That's not my style. Daley... is blinded, sometimes. I've seen it happen. I've become blind sometimes, myself. I know she's got Lex's best interests at heart, but not letting him learn to fight isn't actually in his best interest. I'm not telling Daley what I saw. I won't even tell anyone about this cave, which appears to be holding a good portion of our food rations, strangely enough," Nathan said, sighing, "But, I will ask that, in the future, you trust the rest of us more."

Jackson and Lex stayed silent, as Nathan left.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Eric mumbled something, as he scooped the dirt, tossing it to the side. Abby looked up, then back down, getting back to her own digging.

"-istopheles... pay... Roxanne..."

Abby looked up at him, squinting. His eyes seemed... cloudy...

"Eric, what are you _talking_ about over there?"

"That demon killed her... gonna get him back for this... I'm... hunter..."

"Are you okay, Eric?" Jory asked, as she pierced the ground with her shovel.

Eric looked at her with clear eyes, now.

"What? Duh, of course I'm fine. Only been digging for what, 10 minutes?" Eric asked.

"Thirty," Abby said.

"Same difference."

"Eric, you're really freakin' me out, man. First you start running around, picking up stuff, and mumbling about ghosts; now you start muttering stuff about demons?"

Eric looked at Ian.

"What in the hell are you talking about?"

"And what was up with singing in Spanish?" Ian asked.

"Dude, what the fuck? I don't even _know_ Spanish! Damn it, shut up!"

Ian shook his head, slowly, as he laid back down. The other three went back to digging, with Eric grunting as he put more and more effort into it.

_**Campfire...**_

Daley walked over to Melissa and set down the laundry. She didn't care about the laundry itself, but it gave her an extra moment's pause before starting this conversation...

"So, Melissa, Nathan and I talked about possibly having sex, and..."

"Are you sure I should be part of this conversation? I mean, I don't really want to be a part of that side of Nathan's life."

"No. Mel... just listen... please. I told him I wanted to wait. I mean, while wild, carefree times on an abandoned beach are definitely up there as one of a girl's greatest fantasies," she chuckled at her own joke, "Jackson was right. Pursuing a relationship here on the island would just complicate things. I just don't want him to think I am uninterested or anything. What I am trying to say is: do you think I made the right choice?"

"Definitely, Daley. Nathan adores you. He'll wait until you're both ready. Trust me, you're probably more ready than he is."

Now it was Melissa's turn to laugh.

"So what about you and Jackson?"

Melissa's laughter stopped abruptly. "I really don't know. I mean not worried about Taylor anymore, but we're barely speaking. Things have totally fallen apart since Eric left. I can't believe I am about to say it but it was like our mutual dislike for him held us together," She stopped as if hesitant to voice the next part, "And now we're training to fight... our humanity is slipping away, piece by piece."

"I don't exactly like the thought of fighting either," Daley agreed before switching back to leader mode, "but organization and preparation are key. Without a plan you fail. People get hurt. People die."

Somehow, Mel knew that last thought had little to do with their present situation, that it had been instilled in Daley long ago, by something much more painful. This led her to her next sentence which she regretted as soon as it was out of her mouth. "You know when Lex told that story last night, had you heard it before?"

Daley answered quickly. "No. You see, when our parents made it final Lex and I made a pact not to speak about our other parents. Some things are just yours alone. I wanted to hold onto my mom and he onto his dad in our own way. But I don't imagine you could understand."

_**Beach...**_

The day was waning, and the sun was dipping, but there was still an hour's worth of light, it seemed. During a few quick run-by's, everyone had been informed by Nathan to come to the beach. So, now, they had all gathered there, waiting and wondering, when Nathan called everyone's attention.

"Alright, guys, I had an idea. We're working on fighting, which relies on strength, speed, and stamina. Guess what else relies on those things?"

Taylor snorted.

"Quiet in the peanut gallery!"

Taylor rolled her eyes, and the silence from everyone but Nathan continued. Nathan sighed.

"Swimming! It's a full-body exercise!"

Everyone shrugged or reacted in some minor way. Nathan nodded.

"Good idea, right?"

Daley nodded, with a quick, "yeah."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's swim around a bit, then hold a race. How 'bout it?" Nathan asked.

Everyone looked at one another.

"There _are_ jobs to be done...," Daley said.

"Oh, come on, you're giving up on a competition?" Nathan asked, smiling.

"We probably need to change first. Clothes'll weigh us down," Daley said, "That can be deadly."

A few minutes later, they were swimming about and splashing one another, laughing as they did so. Nathan swam up to Daley and kissed her on the cheek, then kicked back.

"So, up for that race?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm ref!" Melissa called.

_**Big surprise, there.**_

"Shut up!"

Jackson chuckled, "Okay, guys, we'll swim from the pointy rock beside me, all the way to the dull large rock close to the beach."

Melissa nodded in agreement, with a quick smile at Jackson, which he returned.

"On your mark...," Melissa said, slowly, as Nathan and Daley got to the starting point, prepared to kick off.

"Get set..."

They looked at each other, smiled competitively, then back out towards the finish line of a sort. Lex called out a quick, "Go Daley!"

"GO!"

Nathan and Daley kicked off and became a flurry of coordinated motion, kicking and sweeping their arms, propelling themselves forward, faster and faster. It seemed like a tie, then occasionally, one would shoot ahead, the other would overtake or even pass them.

Daley.

Nathan.

Tie.

Nathan.

Daley.

Nathan.

Tie.

There were almost at the finish line...

"HAH!" Daley called out, gasping for breath.

Nathan touched it a moment later, smiling a secretive smile, before putting on a show of disappointment.

"Yeah... good job... whew...," he said, leaning back up against the rock.

After some congratulations and high-fives, the group emerged from the sea, and went off to change. They stretched a bit, and walked around. Eventually, Melissa led Nathan off to the side, while Daley was distracted with Lex's recount of the race from his perspective, letting his excitement show his youth.

"But... shouldn't you have won that? You were always a better swimmer then her," Melissa said.

"Rule one of dating: always let your girlfriend win."

"Ah, that's _so_ helpful."

"I can tell you how to woo a guy, if you like."

"Are you _absolutely sure_ you're not bi?"

"How many times are the authors gonna question my sexuality?"

_**Forty two.**_

"You're really _funny,_ ya' know that, Asta?"

_**Damn straight.**_

"Douglas Adams references for the win, after all," Melissa muttered.

_**...You just earned a whole chapter of nice things happening to you.**_

_**Hey I am in charge of the nice things. I decide when nice things are awarded. Canon Mel, have a cookie.**_

"But how would a cookie get to-"

_**Enjoy your confection. Stop questioning us.**_

Melissa chuckled, shrugging, as she ate her cookie and walked off. Nathan sat down and laid back, sighing contently.

_**Campfire...**_

"That was awesome," Nathan reiterated as he served the fish. "I don't know about the rest of you but I had fun."

Daley was the first to reply. "Of course I did. I smoked you after all."

_Even if I know you let me win._

"So would everyone be up for it again tomorrow?" Nathan asks.

Lex answered for the group. "Of course."

Taylor turned a quarter turn away, further distancing herself from the others. Melissa caught it but couldn't say anything before Jackson spoke up.

"Good for conditioning too. I definitely think it's something we should try to work in." He continued on for a while but she missed most of it.

_Why is Taylor so quiet? She must be hurting. I wonder if I can help._

"Mel!" Jackson's voice pierced through her thoughts. "You dropped your dinner in the fire."

"It's alright, I wasn't hungry anyway."

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Eric brought the piece of meat to his lips and took a big bite, tearing the meat away ferally, then began chewing thoughtfully. Abby bit and chewed much more calmly, but she had a strange gleam in her eye, as if the meat had much more meaning than simple taste and nutrition. Jory and Ian ate their food delicately, with a few small mishaps in manners, but they looked positively dainty in comparison to Eric and Abby.

Eric looked about for a few moments.

"Oi, Rukia-san, when will Chad-kun show up?" he asked, looking at Abby.

"Rukia?" Abby asked.

Eric looked at her, confused.

"Sado-kun? He said he'd be here, by now," Eric sighed, then looked at Jory, "Inoue, did you see him?"

Jory looked at him with intense bafflement.

"Errmm... h-he said he had to work a bit... on his Arm, you know...," Jory said.

Eric seemed to accept this, nodding. He finished his meal, then looked over at Ian. He snorted and laid back. Jory bit her lip, wondering what to do next, when an idea came to her.

"I-Ichigo-kun?"

Eric looked at her, "Yeah?"

Jory's eyes widened.

"N-never mind..."

Eric smiled lightly at her for a moment, then rested his back again, looking up at the trees.

"Eric, you alright?" Ian asked.

Eric looked at him, "Who?"

"Eric?"

"Dumb ass Renji, what are you talking about?"

"Renji?"

Eric shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Sup, guys?" he asked, "How late is it? Feel sleepy..."

"How often have you seen Bleach?" Jory asked.

"Buh? Ummm... I've watched pretty much every episode on YouTube, why?"

"Because you just called me Orihime, Ian was Renji, and Abby was Rukia. You were Ichigo, and you were asking us where Chad was."

"...What?"

"Eric, face it, you need help."

"Shut up, Ian."

"You're crazy, man."

"I said shut up!"

"Eric, calm down. We can figure this out."

Eric had stood up by this point and had taken a threatening step forward.

"I swear to God I'll break your other leg, if you don't shut up right the _fuck_ now!" Eric roared.

"Eric, chill out!" Abby shouted.

A shiver went through Eric, and he stepped back. Gently, he sat down, then laid down. Ian and Jory looked at him, then at Abby.

"What just happened?" Ian asked.

"I don't... I don't know..."

Abby looked over at Eric, curled up in a ball, obviously relaxed and calm now. She shoveled some dirt on the fire, putting it out, then laid down.


	7. Wrath of Poseidon

_**Wrath of Poseidon...**_

_**Or**_

_**In Which Hell Hath No Fury Like Melissa...**_

**...**

**Yeah. Anyone ELSE remember what the Typhoon's name was? :3**

_**Camp...**_

"Guys, get up!" Lex shouted.

"No time to explain, get up!" Jackson added.

"Get up!"

_Thunk!_

"OW!" Nathan shouted.

"Come on, come on!"

"What is it, you two?" Daley demanded.

"No time to explain, guys, let's go!"

Nathan stood up, weakly, looking at Jackson, blearily. Taylor was half slung-over Melissa, who was looking around, obviously quite confused. Daley looked as mad as a hornet who's nest just got the business end of a baseball bat. And she seemed to be glaring at the kids holding said bat: Jackson and Lex.

Lightning struck approximately 100 feet away from them.

Then the thunder ripped through the shield of happiness their peaceful home enveloped them in, leaving them out in the cold realm of fear.

They all quailed in fear for a few moments, then Jackson straightened up.

"We have to _go_," he said.

This time, there was no hesitation.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Abby looked up to see the storm whirling in, holding naught but death and doom for any foolish enough to stay unprotected and face the brunt of its wrath. The wroth god would rend them to shreds if she didn't do anything. The game was survival, and she would _win_.

She swiftly shook or prodded everyone awake, then stood up.

"Into the hole!" she barked.

First was Ian, obviously, and he was set in the middle, for convenience's sake. Gently, they let him down, until he sighed in relief, his back touching ground once more. Abby jumped in next, and Eric slid down. They laid down, close together, with Abby in between Eric and Ian. Jory took a final glance at Captain Russell's body, shuddering, as she crawled into the hole, taking her place next to Ian.

_**Forest...**_

"What the hell is going on, Lex?" Daley demanded.

The group rushed through the forest, ducking and diving around the trees as best as they could.

"It's a typhoon! It's been coming in for the passed few days!" Lex started.

"Duly noted; where are we going!?"

"To shelter!" Lex shouted over the winds, "Jackson and I have been working on it for a few weeks."

"WHY THE HELL ARE WE JUST NOW KNOWING ABOUT IT!?"

"Because then you guys might have panicked or done something stupid!"

Nathan shook his head, snorting.

"You need to trust us, Lex. We're family and families crumble when secrets are kept. And right now? Crumbling equals death," Nathan barked.

"Can we argue over this at the nice, warm, dry, non-windy cave, instead!?" Jackson barked.

The words stopped, but the rain and wind only fell harder.

_**Cave...**_

Lex had always been fascinated by storms back at home. They were the focus of many a school project and both the storms they had been through so far had been equally awesome. But this lighting did not twinkle in his eyes, instead the bolts grew larger, and came closer to hitting their small sanctuary. Threatening them with each flash. They caused the cave to glow as if he had installed fluorescent light.

Despite that the thunder clapped so loudly it felt as if the whole world shook, and that the waves crashed relentlessly on the beach in the shorter pauses in between, the island had never felt so quiet to Daley. She had grown increasingly in tune to the sound of the wind snaking through the leaves, the melodies of tropical birds catcalling and singing in the distant jungle. There was a gentle hum to the island, like a person breathing in and out. But the rhythm was broken as if the island itself had passed on.

The word howling was perfect to describe the increasing wind. It sounded like a person in pure anguish, or the horrifying sound of war films where bleeding, ripped open soldiers were left to die. The 'screaming' tore at Melissa even more than the biting cold as their soaked clothing and bodies dried painfully slowly in the dropping temperatures.

Nathan focused oddly on the smells. It was the only part of rain he had ever enjoyed. The rest of it, the driving conditions (as if left hand turns weren't hard enough), the extra clothing, the being wet, never appealed to him. But this smell wasn't of fresh greenery and clean air. It was mucky and murky like an algae filled pond. His own skin and hair caused the scent to follow him even though the cave had been dry. He noted it's smell, too: salty and metallic. The combination was almost sickeningly familiar like the sweat of the opposing team on the football field. But this time there was no shower to take the smell away.

Tension had coated everything. Tension that had been there since before Eric left. Tension that had built up and built finally crescendoed like a Beethoven's symphony. At least that's what Taylor saw. She wanted to say something, anything, reassuring but she felt so walled off from everyone, especially now. Her head roared louder than the storm without thousands of words unspoken.

Jackson knew the storm was about to reach it's worst. If he was with his old friends he would have likened to a first punch in a fight. It was something you just knew. He also knew the analogy would have been on the lost on the people here, and that his declaration that the worse was almost upon them would only serve to create more stress. Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to finish contemplating it, as a particularly strong gust of wind slammed him against the cave wall.

The five cries of his name made it clear. The storm was here.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Rain.

It poured through the foliage and pattered upon the tin roof of the Hotel Tango, sounding like gun shots.

Wind.

It ripped through the forests, making odd screeching sounds.

Lightning.

It pierced the woods, illuminating with Hotel with the horrifying half-light that somehow seems scarier than the darkness itself.

Thunder.

It pierced their hollow of silence, the monotony of rain and wind, like the roar of a lion.

Rain. Wind. Lightning. Thunder. The orchestra of storms. It surrounded them, singing of pain and rain and wind and storms and threatened their very lives.

Jory twitched at every thunder boom, shivered at every monster created by that wretched half-light. Ian stayed calm and still, as he had learned to do over the passed two weeks. Abby seemed to examine the horrifying storm with something resembling that of a stare-off, as if the storm had challenged her, and she was now determined to win the battle of survival. Eric's eyes were as misty as the storm; he had already exited reality.

_**Cave...**_

Jackson felt himself being dragged across the cave floor, while his vision blurred in and out. He groaned, as he looked up at Melissa.

"Yo."

Melissa resisted a giggle. She then sighed, as Jackson sat up.

"Sorry about that," he muttered.

Nathan slapped him on the back, and Jackson stiffened up, moaning lightly in pain.

"Hahaaaaa! That's okay. Just don't do that _ever_ again, and we'll be totally cool!"

"No. Prob. Lem."

"Oh, whoops."

"Hey, Nathan?" Jackson asked, with a dangerous edge in his voice.

The hand was retracted.

"Yeah, Jackson?"

"Don't _ever_ do _that_ again, and we'll be totally cool."

"Cool."

"I'm serious. I'll break off your arms if you do it again."

"Hahaaaaa! That's okay."

"Hey, guys?" Lex asked.

"What's up?" Daley asked in reply.

"We forgot the... chicken..."

Melissa half-shrieked, bolted to her feet, then ran from the cave. Jackson made a stumbling attempt to get up, but Nathan held him down.

"Shit!" Jackson shouted, "I have to go after her!"

"Jackson, you'll be killed in that storm, in your condition!"

"What are you talking about!?"

"You are bruised, bonked, and possibly concussed. Melissa will be fine. For once, _you've _been shot in the knees, and we haven't."

"Lovely."

Jackson hit the cave floor, then asked God why he was so stupid as he winced and felt his hand begin to bruise.

_**Forest...**_

Melissa ducked back and forth, darting in zigzags. The first several hundred yards had been blind sprinting. A half possessed desire to get to the chicken somehow, someway. If the chickens, whose generations stretched by to the 1940's, couldn't make it through this storm, how could a group of teenagers? The chicken just had to survive, to stay with them as a symbol of hope, of endurance. It would be reached.

By the time she paused to catch her breath, Melissa was almost spent. She was cold, miserable, and worse yet, alone. The soaked sand was a burden to trudge through. Whether it was physical exhaustion, or the slow weakening of her spirit, something caused Melissa to miss seeing the large piece of shelter which came careening toward her. It collided with her right side splitting on impact, covering her with sharp, stinging cuts. Unprepared, she slammed into the sand, landing awkwardly with the majority of her weight forced onto her left arm. Instinctively she rolled herself free. Ignoring the sharp jolt of pain from changing positions, she ran her other hand over the damaged arm.

''Good... it isn't broken,'' she said aloud if only to reassure herself with her own voice.

However, the sound of it so small and shaky in comparison to the pounding rain only made her more afraid. She tried pushing up and with a small yelp crashed back into the sand.

Ten of the longest, most terrifying minutes of Melissa's life passed as she tried unsuccessfully to reach an upright position. After a kickup, HBK style, she was back on her way. Despite being more vigilant she was coated by leaves, and whacked by several more branches. By time she reached the beach her clothes were fully caked in her own blood. She wanted to collapse, just allow herself to fold under the heavy weight of life itself. She wanted to melt straight into the sand, to just sleep. She dropped to her knees and started to cry.

''I quit!'' she screamed to the blackened skies.

As if on cue, one of the articles of clothing left behind, Jackson's yellow t-shirt was picked by a calmer gust. Twisting and turning it landed with a wet slap on Melissa's face. Breathing in deeply she could still smell him under the heavy layers of dirt and salty water. Jackson. She had forgotten about him, about all of them, about why she had even left. The chicken, that's right. She rose with a renewed strength and searched.

The sight she came upon was horrifying. The chicken was skewered through, firmly rooting it to the ground where it had died. Both wings were broken and it had deep gashes along it's spine. If it had been plucked and cooked you could have called it butterflied by the way it was split. The wounds had been washed in the rain so the pool of blood had all but dissolved minus a few feathers that been stained a permanent shade of red brown. For a brief moment, Melissa considered that eating it would have been less cruel, at least then it would have died for something. She picked it gently, wrapping it in the t-shirt. It was more than time to head back.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

The rain ripped through the air, making gunshots on the roof. Four teens laid in an ex-grave, some more disturbed by the thought than others.

"Hey... wanna pass the time?" Jory asked.

"Sure," Ian said, "How?"

"I Spy?"

"..."

"Okay, umm... show tunes?"

"...I can't say no hard enough."

"Well, do you have any ideas?"

"How about the "Name Random Facts About Yourself to Pass the Time" game?"

"...Perfect."

"Sure, I see no negative repercussions in this," Eric said.

"My leg's broken," Ian said.

"No shit," Eric said.

"I'm just playing the game."

"You fail," Jory said, "That's like me saying 'I'm a geek'. It's too obvious."

"Okay then... I have never won a surfing competition."

"Really?" Jory asked, "Ummm... I have never watched or read Naruto."

"I regret never watching wrestling," Abby said.

"I regret never buying a hooker," Eric said.

"...I regret starting this game," Ian said.

"I regret nothing!" Jory declared, laughing.

"I cheated once or twice, on my vegan diet, back when I still believed in it."

"I wonder how my hair sticks up the way it does."

"What? ...Never mind. I've never kissed a girl."

"What about a boy?" Jory asked, teasingly.

"Disco Jesus does not date boys, and neither do I."

"That didn't say anything about kissing them."

"Bah! I don't kiss boys!"

"I'm part-Native American," Jory said, chuckling.

"You and every other white person in America," Abby said, "I've never been out of the States, before now."

"I hate my parents," Eric grumbled.

There was a brief silence before Ian piped up, "I have a hatred of driving."

"I once wrote a sex scene with Ichigo, Cloud, and Zoro."

_Utter. SILENCE._

"I named my son after my grandpa!" Eric declared, happily.

"Somehow, I knew this would happen," Ian said, "Jory, identify! What crazy delusion is it this time?"

"What's your son's name?" Jory asked.

"Bulma, I told you only yesterday; he's named Gohan."

"Ah. Of course, Goku, I'm so forgetful."

"Oh. Great. Dragon Ball Z," Abby said, snorting.

"Shall we continue the game, anyways?" Jory asked.

"Sure, should be fun, even if the Abyss is rearing its ugly head," Ian said, shrugging.

And so they did.

It only got _weirder_ from there, I assure you.

_**Cave...**_

Melissa stumbled the last few feet into the cave. She had the chicken cradled still in her arms as if she were holding a swaddled infant. Time slowed down for everyone as they looked her up and down, murmuring in soft hushed tones the terror they each felt at her battered bleeding state. Nathan was the first to notice.

She was tilting.

Falling.

Her caught her. Barely. And lowered her softly to the floor. For this everyone scrambled to make room in the center of the enclosure. Having encircled her, they all took different approaches. Daley had started muttering ''oh no'' repeatedly, while Lex cried and begged for forgiveness. It was more than apparent that the small boy saw this as his fault, and Taylor while still silent had wrapped him in a hug. Nathan had taken to checking Melissa's injuries. His inspection of her newly wrenched arm was enough to rouse her from the fog with a fresh jolt of pain.

''Ow!'' She shrieked and Nathan set her arm down with an apologetic smile.

''Thank god,'' he said breathlessly, ''you're still alive.''

''Guys... I am okay. Really. Just a little dizzy and tired from the walk.''

She gave them a weak smile. It was enough to reassure some, at least for now. Lex's sobbing had ceased to a weak sniffle and he tore himself away from Taylor to ask, ''And the chicken?''

His brown eyes shown with hope and each word crushed Melissa to an utter pulp.

She had no words, as she pointed to her right the group followed the direction of her finger to the bundle she'd been carrying earlier. In their worry they had dismissed it and thoughts of the fowl, but realization dawned and Lex began to cry once more.

For a few moments all that could be heard was the sound of one little boy's pain. The blunt hammer of mortality swung down on him, on all of them, and he was broken. Daley and Taylor had switched places wordlessly so the former could better comfort her brother. Meanwhile, Jackson was digesting the scene. For most of his life he had run on two basic emotions: apathy and anger. The first was his autopilot, his everyday, but there was no way he could ever stop caring for the girl in front of him. Which left...

''What the hell were you thinking?!''

Anger.

Lex stopped crying immediately. Taylor stiffened. Daley mouthed his name. Nathan stared wide eyed.

When he got no reply he continued. ''That.'' His eyes shifted momentarily in the direction of the lifeless bundle. ''Could have been you.'' He repeated it then. ''That could have been you.'' Quieter. As if it had been said by someone else and hadn't had time to sink in.

Melissa reply was calm, even toned, though with a matching unbendable force of will.

"You should know exactly what I was thinking. I am not the only one who needed to be more careful, who thought nothing bad could happen."

She paused and for a moment, each mind was turning. Though her remark had only one intended audience, somewhere down the line it seemed everyone had taken an unnecessary risk. When Nathan climbed that tree, Daley lying about the rations to gain Taylor and Eric's votes as leader, the raft.

"You felt the same sense of duty when you took that first sip of unboiled water."

Jackson felt stuck. He wanted to point out the difference between humans and animals, the difference between his possible risk and her guaranteed one. But all of that would be admitting he lied days ago.

Instead, he said, ''I told you I was just thirsty.''

''Then maybe I just felt like taking a walk.''

With that reply there was nothing more to be said, and an uneasy silence reigned again.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

After a while of The Name Random Facts About Yourself, Ian decided to have fun. He started slipping into the role of Vegeta. Jory tagged along as the role of Chichi. Things got out of hand, and it ended with all three of them getting smacked by Abby.

"Oh, Bulma, same old, same old."

"Shut up, Goku."

"Goku, wha?"

"Eric?"

"Yeah. What's with the Goku?"

"You are _nucking futs_," Ian said.

"...YOU'RE A TOWEL," Eric shot back.

After a strange back and forth round of insults that included "YO MOMMA" jokes, which ended with both parties getting smacked _again_, an annoyed silence rang through the ex-grave. Abby's lip curled for a moment as she stared at the roof.

"Let's just get to sleep... it's the only thing we can do," Jory said.

A few murmurs of agreement later, silence reigned again, as some drifted, and others merely let their thoughts run wild.

_**Cave...**_

Taylor never realized how easy being silent could be. In the past few days she had said only a few words to anyone. She now understood how Aly made it the Day of Silence every April. That's another resolution, she'd join her this year. Taylor was facing the wall, gently tracing it with one of her fingertips. She imagined a world where she stayed like this forever, lost in her thoughts, her world, just watching everyone else pass. It sent a lukewarm shiver through her as though someone had poured tap water down her spine. But who was around to break the shell? No one wanted the old Taylor back, she was certain of that. Besides one by one they had decided rather wordlessly to fall asleep, and although she couldn't see them, she was pretty sure that she was only one awake.

Or was she?

"Melissa!"

That was Jackson's voice. Even at a whisper she could tell.

"Melissa!" He tried again and continued, "we should talk."

"Why? We only end up fighting or making back up," Came Mel's annoyed reply.

Taylor had to give it to her, this thing between them was getting a little old.

"I'd rather die having done the latter."

"We aren't going to die."

''We've both come close today alone,'' Jackson retorted.

Mel sighed. "Point made, but if this is another lecture on how I should have-"

''No. I only got angry because I care about you.''

Jackson realized how pathetic that was and opened his mouth to try again when Taylor spoke up.

"Just kiss her already."

"What?!" Mel and Jackson asked, almost in unison.

"We're trapped in a lethal storm, the no relationship rule has been shattered by the fact that we are in quarters so close we might as well be doing it, and even I can see you may not get this chance again. Half this island, the readers and the author who's writing my dialogue have waited long enough."

Mel and Jackson paused for a moment, wondering if Taylor's advice was truly what they should follow. Then, all thought was loosed from their mind, as they both decided that maybe she had a few good ideas every now and then.

Their lips met, and the fanbase went crazy.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

They had no way to tell time. Their watches had long since stopped or been lost. They drifted out of a strange haze of gunshots and monsters, ate a fruit when they felt hunger gnawing at them, and drinking a sip of water when thirst was overwhelming.

Eric drifted in and out, too. Jory had identified him as Sasuke (while she hadn't read or watched Naruto, she had heard plenty of it from her friends), Tsuna (from the 6th most popular anime/manga that Jory called "Reborn"), and George Bush Jr. After all the anime themes, that one _really_ threw them for a loop.

"Wow, never knew Eric was such an anime freak," Abby said.

"Hey, they're pretty perverted sometimes. Suits him just fine," Jory said.

"Then why do _you_ read them...? Watch them...? Whatever!" Ian asked, his question ending in mild frustration.

"Because of deep plots and the utter awesomeness and satisfaction that comes from seeing the bad guy utterly _decimated_."

"Oh no...," Ian muttered.

"Seriously. Luffy _punching_ Bellamie in the face like that was _seven levels _of epic."

_Here she goes_.

"Jory, please shut up. I'm trying to sleep."

"...Yes, Abby."

A heavy kind of silence, a mixture of near-defiance and self-assured command, hung over them now.

_**Beach...?**_

The sun was shining brightly as it dipped into the ocean, causing waves of colors to cascade across the rolling waves. It was at the edge, where land, sea, and sky all touched, that Nathan and Daley sat.

They sat there, feeling the cool breeze, the warm sand, and the cold water lapping at their feet. A union of the three elements, and a different kind of union was laying thick in the air, as if all thoughts were focused towards though, as if the thought was layered into those very elements.

The two turned towards each other and kissed, gently at first. They spoke gently, neither really hearing anything, as their hands began to wrap around each other. Slowly, they began to lay back, as their kissing turned passionate, almost animal-like.

Clothes were thrown asunder with more ease than was physically possible. The two lovers kissed, moaning, as the second union became complete. It was the perfect form of romance and pure passion. The two lovers screamed as the sex reached its climax.

_**Cave...**_

"NATHAN, WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

"Huh-wha?"

"The horrors, oh dear sweet god, why!?" Lex muttered.

Nathan blearily looked around to see Daley blushing furiously, Jackson just plain furious, Melissa wide-eyed, Taylor cackling, and Lex curled up in a ball.

The dream, half-wavering in his mind, still lingered. He looked down at a dark spot, and his eyes widened.

"Oh dear sweet vampire Jesus Buddha, I _didn't_-"

"Yes! YES YOU DID!" Jackson shouted.

_**BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_

Taylor snickered delightfully, "Great one, Asta."

For a moment, the lightning made the light last a bit longer than physically possible, and the clouds outside were that of a teen boy giving a thumb's up.

"Hey... umm... you c-can't blame me! I mean... seriously! It's not like I meant for that dream to happen... it just sort of..."

"Came?" Taylor suggested, as she went into another fit of giggles.

"You horrible person," Melissa said, as she started grinning too.

Daley remained silent as the grave. Nathan looked down, torn between laughing and crying. Jackson and Lex looked at each other, then shook their head.

"We'll uhhh... forget this happened," Jackson said.

"_I still hear it_," Lex whined.

"You can not imagine how sorry I am," Nathan said.

He looked at Daley, who was looking down, the blush still bright red.

"Umm... D-Daley...?"

She looked up, biting her lip.

"Please don't be mad?"

"Not mad... embarrassed... but not mad."

"Sorry."

The others had settled into light snickers or an awkward silence, as they tried to ignore. It was a good thing Eric wasn't present, now, seeing as how he would've made as many jokes now as possible. Taylor thought about taking up the slack, then decided to do something better upon deciding to break her unintentional vow of silence.

"Not your fault..."

"I can totally understand if you decide to ditch me after I-"

"Nathan McGorrill, if you _ever _say something about us breaking up again over something stupid and out of your control, I will slap you."

Daley was back to normal, and Nathan smiled.

"Sure thing," Nathan said.

And thus a wet dream turned into a sweet moment. All under the typing fingers of the _same author and you better be able to tell which one._

"...This whole thing? Yeah, it classifies under 'weirder than that time Wendy and her friends spammed my MySpace account with the word "orgasmic"'," Jackson whispered.

"How so?" Melissa asked.

"Let me put it like this. Normal life is being at home, complaining about school. Right now, we're in a cave, weathering a storm, and I just heard the _orgasming screams_ of one of my friends as he dreamed about another friend of mine, both of whom are in the _same cave as me_. Life just turned for the _really screwed up_," Jackson replied, still whispering.

Taylor was the only one close enough to hear, and she was sent into another cackle-fest.

Light talking kept going on for a while, most of it forgettable. Taylor and Lex eventually fell asleep. Jackson and Melissa stayed close, on one side of the cave, while Daley and Nathan were huddled on the other side of the cave. Melissa gently slid her hand along Jackson's cheek, smiling lightly as she felt the rough beard beginning to form. Daley laid her head on Nathan's shoulder, the two gazing at space for a few gentle moments that they wished could've lasted eternity.

The skies outside remained black as pitch, an eternal night. But to the couples inside, it was a new dawn, and the storm was nonexistent, as they leaned in for their own, private kiss.

**End of Chapter Seven**


	8. Blessings of Aphrodite

_**The Blessings of Aphrodite**_

_**Or...**_

_**The Things Which Draw Them Together**_

_**"Be careful when you fight monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back." - Frederick Nietzsche**_

_**Cave...**_

The 29ers had fallen into a sort of apathy. Drudging through various states of sleep and half-sleep, they dozed for hours on end. They would grab some fruit when they felt hunger stab their belly, and drink when they felt thirst rasp in their throat. Little talking was exchanged for a while.

Then Daley and Nathan found themselves up, getting food at the same time. They looked at each other and blushed. Gently, they ate away at their bananas, until Nathan noted the phallic imagery and blushed deeper. When Daley looked at him and saw him turn away, her eyes widened and she smacked him on the shoulder, somewhat jokingly.

They looked back at each other, smiling.

"So... the dream..."

"I don't think I can apologize enough..."

"Psh. Please. I'm just glad it was about me. I've already had my share of wet dreams. I just never... _screamed_... quite like that," Daley said.

"Wait... glad it was about me?" Nathan asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah. I guess that confirms that you _do_ at least have fairly deep feelings for me. Not that I had reason to doubt. Girls are just... naturally insecure about such things, so don't worry. You haven't done anything wrong," Daley said, quickly correcting herself after seeing Nathan's deeply confused expression.

Nathan chuckled.

"So, have you...?"

"Yeah."

"About me?"

"...Yeah."

Nathan grinned like an idiot for a moment, before he shook himself.

"Where was yours set?" Nathan asked.

"In my house on the couch," Daley said, "...I think it was partially because I miss home so bad. Your latest?"

"The beach. Weirdly... it was at the water's edge."

"I swear. You are _gayest_ straight man I've ever met."

"Hey, Asta just wanted some kind of "three elements" theme going when he wrote that."

"Yeah, okay."

Daley stuck her tongue out at Nathan, who rolled his eyes. She kissed him on the forehead.

"Alright. I'm in a daze from the wet atmosphere and such, but I suppose I could stay up with you for a bit."

Nathan kissed her cheek, "That'd be nice."

_**Hotel Tango...**_

With the others sound asleep, Eric laid there, still in reality.

_What the hell's going on...? I've been blacking out, lately. Then Jory and Ian bitch me out, ranting about me acting like a lunatic. Seriously, what the fuck was with that Spanish? Total bullshit._

Still, the young boy felt conflicted and confused. He shivered as he thought back to when Captain Russell ran at him. He clawed at his head, furiously, groaning, as the vision of Russell breathing his last ran through his head. Then, his face went slack. His eyes went hazy. He sat up and looked around.

_Hey, Eric._

Eric looked up to see a blonde girl looking down at him. He smiled, almost dazed. He stood up and climbed out of the hole.

_What's up?_

"Heh. Just... survivin'," Eric said, as he moved closer to the illusion.

_Always so cute..._

"Nah. I'm ugly... You were always the cute one."

_*giggle* You always knew how to treat a lady._

Eric blushed, kicking at the dirt.

_I missed you_.

"I missed you, too, Tay."

_Well, I'm here now. Can your old friend get a hug?_

Eric smiled, walking forward, as he wrapped his arms around the illusion. He was shocked as he found that his arms went right through her. His eyes screwed up in concentration.

"Wh-wha...?"

_What is it? Please... I'm cold... wrap me in your arms..._

Eric nodded, hurriedly, his smile smaller now, as he tried to hug her again. Again, his arms passed right through her.

_Please... I need your warmth. I need to feel your arms again... Eric, I feel weak..._

Eric, his eyes wide in shock, his lips quivering, he tried to encircle his arms around his beloved. His arms passed through her, and the illusion dissolved.

Crying, Eric fell to his knees, his face in his hands. A few moments later, he crawled into the hole with all the determination of a dying man.

Awokened by the desperate cries of Eric, Abby looked at him with interest.

_**Cave...**_

Nathan and Daley had rested at the end of the cave, a few yards from the food and water. They had fallen into a light sleep next to one another, clasping hands. Jackson smiled gently at them, thinking of them as almost 'cute', when he grabbed a bottle of water. He turned around to see Melissa stretching and yawning, then grabbed a second. He walked back and handed her both, before sitting down beside her and taking one back.

"Thanks," he said.

"Thank _you_," Melissa said.

"Eh, no problem. I was already getting water," Jackson said.

"Not just for that. For... giving me hope, again."

"About that..."

Melissa's expression changed to one of disappointment.

"It's just... Taylor kind of pushed us towards it, didn't she?"

"Jackson, don't do this... Please."

"I don't want to rush into anything."

"We've been _not rushing into anything_ for the past three weeks. Jackson, I can only take so much. So what if Taylor pushed us? Everything, somehow, someway, pushes couples towards each other. If there had been nothing there, Taylor could push us all she wanted, nothing would have happened, and you know it."

Jackson nodded, "Sorry... I'm just..."

"Cautious. I know. But don't scare me like that... I don't need another hammerblow. My heart feels like alabaster at this point."

Jackson nodded again, "I won't do it again. Promise."

They kissed, gently, and encircled one another in their arms, comfortable in each other's warmth.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Jory's lip twitched, feeling disgusting. She was in her hero's _almost grave_. It would never stop freaking her out. Never. She sipped a bit of her water from the coconut, then made a sour face as the coconut had given it a strange aftertaste that she wasn't too fond of.

She started wondering to herself as to what was going on. Abby had become so distorted from her usual self. Normally, she was so kind, and now she was _monstrous_.

And speaking of distorted, what was up with Eric? He had been a part of the popular crowd, and was _definitely_ on the stuck-up side, but he had never been crazy. She remembered reading Death Note back before she had gone on the trip. She had read the entire series twice, and she always found Light's famous scene in which he dealt with his first killing interesting. He had initially sat on his bed, shivering, in shock. Then, with a little talking, he suddenly decided that he would kill all the criminals in the world, and become the world's new god.

Some argued that Light was sane and perfectly good. People pointed to that scene to argue their own case, that he was _off his rocker and corrupt as the government_.

Eric had killed Bob, up close and personal, apparently. If Light Yagami went insane and became Kira just because he killed a few criminals with the Death Note (and therefore far away), then it was obvious that Eric would feel _shattered_ by killing Bob directly. Ian had once called Eric's insanity "the Abyss" in an almost offhand manner. He had been right. Eric's retreating had left him as nothing but an Abyss.

Maybe he just needed somebody to love. Some source of comfort, to shield him from all the pain. Jory entertained the thought of it being her for a moment, but she brushed it away. Not her. She didn't care for him. No...

"Not _him_," she muttered, looking at Ian.

_**Cave...**_

Lex sleepily yawned and stretched, looking at Daley and Nathan gently dozing, and Jackson and Melissa whispering to one another. He grabbed a pineapple and some water, then sat down a few feet away from Jackson and Melissa, a relative distance given the size of the cave. Melissa chuckled.

"You can sit by us and talk for a while, if you want," Melissa said.

"Yeah, come on. We won't be all gross around you, if you want," Jackson said, smiling.

"That'd be appreciated... I don't think I can look at Daley and Nathan quite the same."

"Ah, you'll forgive him. How has he not had wet dreams around you guys before?" Melissa asked.

"In truth, he has," Jackson said, looking to the side.

"For real?"

"He just didn't _moan _or scream people's names."

Melissa blushed furiously, and both she and Lex shudder.

"No, he just rolled around a bit, then bolted upright, panting. It was... interesting... to watch, until I realized what it was, then I found the whole thing mildly disturbing."

"Did he dream about Daley, then?" Melissa asked.

"I_ don't _wanna' know, shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up_!_"

"No answer, for Lex's fragile little mind."

"Hey, how would you like to hear that your friend is doing _that_ with your sister in his dreams."

"It's disturbing enough as it is," Jackson said.

"Okay, we're gonna talk about something else now," Melissa said.

"_I can't thank you enough_," Lex said, glaring at Jackson.

"So, when'd you two think this up?" Melissa asked.

"Ermm... two weeks ago."

"...And you waited until it was needed to let us know."

"Well, you guys might've, I dunno, used it to sneak off and do things in," Lex said.

"Hey, what Eric and Taylor would've done should not reflect what the rest of us would've done," Jackson said.

"Ewwwww," Lex and Melissa said.

Jackson laughed, as the most child-like of the 29ers shuddered as a direct result of his statement

_**Hotel Tango...**_

The teen surfer laid on the dirt floor, thankfully still dry. He always noticed the environment more than anything else. He looked up at the ceiling, studying the various rust patterns, looking at the shapes. He spotted a dragon, some kind of mutant elephant with a blade, a muskrat with weird limbs, a fairy, a series of interlocked circles, and a few other things that he had forgotten about.

Sighing, he felt the heat from Abby and Jory. He snorted. They were so different, in personality, physique, and nearly everything else, yet they still put out the same amount of body heat. Strange, how the little things in life refused to bend to those with such a larger impact.

What had happened... to change Abby so much? Ian had talked with her frequently before. They had been family. She was so like Jory before; a nature enthusiast, and a bit of a tomboy. She just wasn't as big of a nerd as Jory, Ian thought with a chuckle. But now... she didn't seem human... she was a monster...

It seemed wrong that Abby gave off as much as heat as Jory, when she seemed so much colder now.

_**The Cave...**_

Everyone was now awake, and talking a little. Conversation came and went, glancing over various inane topics. Eventually, Daley addressed everyone.

"So, what should we do to pass the time?" she asked, "Talking's fine, but we could use an activity to keep from going nuts."

"Well, we're out on board games, that's for sure," Nathan said.

"I Spy would be too easy. Someone's clothes, fruit, a rock, or the rain," Taylor said.

"Truth or dare?" Daley suggested.

"I can't say 'no' _hard enough_," Jackson responded.

"Agreed," Melissa said.

"Sounds interesting," Taylor said.

"_Hell no_," Nathan said.

"Why not?" Daley said.

"Because it will end up with one of us wanting to kill somebody and I can't imagine sleeping next to a corpse," Nathan answered.

"...Moving on, then," Daley said.

"Well, my old school had some ice-breaker games," Jackson said, "Some were pointless and just a way to remember names. One I _did_ like, though, was the ice cream game."

"Ice cream game?" Lex asked.

"You describe someone by relating them to an ice cream flavor."

"I don't get it," Taylor admitted. It briefly made everyone smile to have her back.

"Watch I'll do you." Jackson crossed his arms, thinking briefly then smiled, "This person is moose tracks. This person is funny and full of surprises."

"Where does the game part come in?" asked Nathan.

"Well in the game, the description would be a bit longer and then you would try to guess who I had in mind."

"Ohhh. I like this game." The lightbulb above Taylor's head was almost tangible.

"I have a suggestion though." Everyone turned to Daley curious. "Can we please pick something other than ice cream? I can taste it already and it's driving me crazy."

The group burst into a warm bubbly laughter, which when the last of it had faded, Lex made the pertinent suggestion.

"How about objects from the island?"

The group agreed and so the game began.

"Okay, I'll go." Nathan said. "This person is a palm tree. They are strong. And also they seem to stand alone they have learned to reach out."

"Jackson?" Mel wondered.

"No." He continued with his description. "Although they like a tree are rigid at first, if they need to they can be quite flexible."

"It's Daley!" Taylor shrieked then she turned red and starting cackling in a very similiar reaction to the one she had earlier.

One by one the older members of the group caught what Taylor's mind saw as obvious. Daley and Nathan exchanged clances of embarassment, while Jackson just shook his head.

"Taylor, just go," Jackson grumbled.

"I don't know why it's funny," Lex complained.

Melissa placed a comfronting hand on his shoulder, "Lex, trust me you don't want to know."

"Taylor. GO!" Jackson demanded sternly.

"Okay. Okay. Sheesh. Spoil sport. This person is a small orange. Because they're both small. And orange."

"Lex!" Cried everyone else. Their abilty to guess it so quickly made Taylor frown in disappointment.

"It was a good try Taylor," Jackson replied, hoping to pacify her.

She brightened quickly and he hoped to move things along again.

"Who wants to go next?"

Mel raised a hand. "I'll go!" Surveyed the group carefully than made me her selection. "Okaaay. This person is a coconut. They have a pretty rough exterior that takes some real effort to crack, but the sweetness inside is worth the time and energy."

"Me." Jackson replied softly. He was clearly touched by her romantic display. The others smiled, basking in her happiness for several moments.

Daley chose to speak up first, "Mel it's a shame you took coconut, I could have used it for Nathan."

"How's that?"

"Well they are both brown, and have a knack for falling out of tress without cracking themselves open."

If the six cave dwellers knew of the fates of the remaining five on the island, they could have likened the chicken to Capitian Russel, both discarded corspes bought down by cruel fate and crueler wood straight through the heart. Or Abby to the storm outside, cold, indifferent, capable of both destruction and renewal. For now their hearts and minds were too light for such unpleasantries, as they reveled in a bond they shared. This was the real blessing of love. True friendship and laughter even in dark hours.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Abby stared down at Ian. She had climbed up and out of the hole with her feet dangling off the edge and stared down at him. And she was thinking. There was no compassion in this stare and certainly no pity. It was cold and calculating. She was appraising, inspecting him as a jeweler would a diamond, searching for and assessing flaws and strengths. Determining his value like the Antiques Roadshow did for old dressers.

She saw the claw marks where his fingers had scraped hopelessly at the softening dirt. Frantically he tried to grab a handhold hoping to stablize himself as jolts of pain tore through him radiating from his damaged limb. Yet, he bore most of his burden in silence as she had. This meant he was strong. There was a true resliency to them both, built into the very fabric of their DNA. This would be passed down, and quite useful to their offspring. A broken bone grows back stronger, scarred skin grew back tougher.

But what if the same could be said for a broken spirit and a scarred mind?

_**Cave...**_

"Mel can you believe it?" Nathan asked.

"Believe what?" Mel asked then clapped a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter at Nathan's goofy expression, "That you're grinning wider than than a Chersire Cat?"

"No. That we're both finally in love." He sighed with cotentment.

"Your inner girl is showing again," Melissa teased, "Between that and the skirts Daley may have to question her sexuality."

"Stop that. Besides this means we won't have to take each other to the prom."

"Oh please like we would have held each other to that 'pact'." She used air quotes for emphasis. "We were ten!"

"I would have. There's no way you're going if I'm not."

His tone was so sincere for a second she believed him. Then... "Gotcha," he declared triumphantly.

"Oh you are so going to get it." Melissa said, starting to get up. Unfortunately, both of them miscalculated the difficulty of conducting a chase in a small cave. Nathan in his scramble to get away stepped on Lex.

"Ow!" the sleeping boy declared.

While Nathan stopped to give his apologies, Melissa continued in her pursuit unaware of how close Nathan actually was, and tripped on him. She landed on top of Jackson.

"Uh Mel."

"Yeah Jackson," she replied, her blushing cheeks showing her severe embarassment.

He weighed his desires momentarily before replying, "you are crushing my ribcage."

She got up immediately. "Sorry."

Jackson turned his head to conceal his smile. "Don't be."

_**Hotel Tango...**_

The entire crew was wide awake, as the storm had quieted down far more than normal. Oh sure, they'd had a few moments where the sound fluctuated, because of the wind blowing the rain in such a way that very little of it hit the roof, in comparison to normal. But that usually only lasted a few seconds. This was a genuine slowing down of the downpour.

Eric sat up first, looking around quizzically.

"Hrmm... where did that Kuma sent me?"

He looked down at Abby, and his eyes widened.

"Oh my..."

"Oh lord, here he goes again," Ian said.

"Yes?" Abby asked.

"May-... May I see your panties?"

_Dead. SILENCE._

Abby's eye twitched, while Jory looked at him stupefied and Ian looked ready to burst into laughter.

"Jory... wh-what is that?" Ian said, inbetween fits of laughter.

"Hey, Brook, you would gaze at her panties with your own eyeballs?" Jory asked, covering her mouth as she giggled.

"I would... IF I HAD ANY EYEBALLS! YOHOHOHO! SKULL JOOOOOOOKE!" Eric declared, his head thrown back as he declared the punchline.

"This is, by far, the _weirdest_ hallucination ever," Ian said.

"It's _One Piece_, Ian, of course it's weird as hell," Jory said, laughing.

Eric got a little closer to Abby, his eyes still clouded, and she slapped him across the face. His head turned and his jaw made a light cracking noise. Turning back towards her, Eric moaned lowly.

"Yowch, what the hell?" he demanded.

"Awww... no more skull jokes," Abby said.

"Don't tell me," Eric said, "Brook, right?"

"Yep," Jory said, chuckling.

"You asked to-," Ian said, before Eric interrupted him.

"I know what Brook asks for, and I can already guess who he asked."

"Well, duh. Abby's more like the typical Asian, anime girl than I am," Jory said.

"That's so racist," Ian said.

"No, it's not. It's just a fact. I'm overweight. She's almost exactly like a generic anime character, minus the huge bust."

"...Point."

"Her bust's fine as it is," Eric said, in a half-defending, half-joking tone.

_Good to know,_ Abby thought, though you'd be surprised to know that it wasn't with disdain that she thought it...

_**Cave...**_

There was a thought tugging at Jackson's consciousness. Troubling him as he wrestling deep within himself until finally he addressed the silent, though fully awake group.

"Anyone mind if I pray?"

His own voice seemed to startle him as he recoiled slightly after the question was posed. It hung there in the air, seconds ticking as he awaited a response. In truth, he found the question almost impolite. Although his mother had given him few things, she had instilled respect for God and the beliefs of those who had not or would never find Him. As such, she spoke poorly of praying in public spaces. In her eyes it disrespected others, and praying was meant to be private between yourself and God. He had broken this rule twice.

The day his mother was jailed he had prayed so loudly his small voice rang off the cold steel walls with a ferocious intensity. And again on the plane as it spiraled downward though then it had been nearly inaudible under the cacophony of noise the others created.

"Aloud" he added finally.

"No," Daley said slowly, "I don't, that is. But would you mind a prayer circle?"

She hesitated again.

"My mom believed in them. I haven't done one since..."

She turned to her left to see in wordless response that Jackson had grabbed her hand. In any other moment she would have felt awkward, and compelled to thank whomever it had been profusely. For now she merely waited. Melissa, drawn to support Jackson, and a touch jealous, joined on Jackson's opposite side. Nathan and Lex came over simultaneously with Nathan closest to Daley.

Lex and Melissa glanced over in Taylor's direction wondering if she would decide to take part as well. Honestly, no one present would have blamed her if she hadn't, given the uncomfortable rift which had risen between her and the group, but when she did, papable relief washed over the rest of them. They remained silent, soaking in their inner calm that shared strength had brought them.

Then Jackson spoke, choosing his words and his tone with great care.

"When I look around the circle of people gathered around me, I see family. We may share very little. The same parents did not bear us, our skins are of different tones, the same beliefs do not guide us. We have cried, and struggled, and fought. But. But there is something which binds us beyond our differences. Something as important as law or blood. We are bound by a profound love, strong as any I have ever seen. Therefore I say that if this storm or anything else plans to take my family from me, may it take me as well."

He stopped for what he considered a respectable pause before he finished with, "Amen."

"Amen." The others replied.

For in that moment it ceased to be a religious word. It was a statement of their total agreement. They were a family and they would do this together. As if in response, the rain began to slow outside.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

The island was still in the clutches of the storm, but not nearly to the extent that it had been. It was still fairly dangerous outside, but not so dangerous that Abby and Eric were warded away from looking about. They looked outside the Hotel, at all the ravaged foliage, with some degree of shock and awe. Trees were split and had fallen over. Most of the tall grass was bent over, kneeling to the storm's will. Abby smirked, as she looked over at Eric, who was shaking his head.

"You've kinda got to admire this storm," Abby said.

Eric looked at her, obviously a touch weirded out.

"Well, I mean, look at what it's doing to the island. It's completely controlling it. It's been dominating this island, battering it down. Such power is to be both admired and feared, wouldn't you say?" Abby asked.

Eric nodded, in light agreement. Abby moved closer to him.

"It's all about survival, now. You knew that. You may not have known that you knew that, but you did, when you saved yourself. You know that, even now. Rather than just shut down, you resort to retreating and letting someone else take over when you can't handle. And I've noticed a trend in all the characters you've become. They're bent on _surviving_. Most of them are fighters, and they're _good_ at their job. It's _all_ about survival, and you seem to get that, too. Those two in there," she said, jerking her towards the Hotel, "don't seem to grasp that. You do. That makes you special to me. That makes you _very_ special to me."

Eric's breath caught in his throat as Abby snaked an arm around his back and stood on her tip-toes. Eric leaned down a bit and their lips met.

This was not a subtle kiss, a gentle, loving romantic kiss, like that which Jackson and Melissa shared. This was not a movie star kiss, where the camera pans around as they lovingly smooch and everyone "awwwww's".

This was a kiss with animalistic passion in it.

There was barely of trace of love in this kiss.

There was lust.

There was desire.

There was even anger.

Anger at the storm for bearing in on her.

Anger at his parents for ignoring him.

Desire for survival.

Desire for something better.

A lust for the ultimate goal of survival: procreation.

A lust for pure, fiery _sex_, the kind every teenage boy dreams of.

The world became a blur for them, as they became like animals, creations of instinct and desire. This storm raged all around them, its power diminished, but still it boomed and poured down upon them. Abby, amongst her moans and pleasure, grinned smugly at the sky for a moment. She still showed defiance in the face of such power. Eric felt himself in touch with a reality he had longed for, that he didn't want to escape from. There were no thoughts of the dead captain or his parents. There were no thoughts of anyone but Abby. The smell of her hair in the rain, the taste of her lips, the feeling of her body against his, the sound of her moans...

The storm went on, slowly waning in power, as the two performed what some consider the deepest act of love, yet neither considered it that. Abby was too focused on the biological aspect, and Eric was too focused on the sheer pleasure. This was not "making love". This was sex, in its most animalistic form, and they reflected it. They had indeed lost their humanity. They had become what Nietzsche talked about, once upon a time. Abby was careless when she fought with the monstrous survival, while Eric was careless when he stared into the abyss hidden in the dead man's eyes.

The two teens continued on for several minutes, until, gasping for air, they laid beside each other under the storm. They looked at each other, aglow with sexual energy.

Eric had not a cloud in his eyes as Abby looked into them, with love. Not for him, but for what he stood for. He had given her the ultimate key to survival.

She had taken the first step to ensuring that she would not die... but live on...

She knew it was her imagination, but she swore she already felt something stirring inside her.

**End of Chapter Eight**


	9. Hera's Smile

_**Hera's Smile...**_

_**or...**_

_**A "Family" Reunion...**_

**You'd be surprised as to just how much mileage I can get out of the Grecian Theme. The last two were obvious references. Can anyone guess why I chose Hera, though?**

**Shout-out to Joucelin Hades, who's successfully reviewed with every update since she started reading. Much kudos and thanks!**

_**Cave...**_

The 29ers were all in a daze, mostly asleep. Gradually, Daley sat up, shaking herself. The air felt heavy with humidity, the kind she was so familiar with, that settled right after...

Was it true? Could it be?

Daley looked out of the cave to see water dripping at the entrance of the cave, but passed that, there were clear skies. The moon shone through the black blanket of the skies. She smiled, standing up.

The leader of the 29ers began to systemically shake and wake the others, loudly declaring that the storm was over. Happiness flooded through them. Finally, a chance to move. Finally, a chance to be on their own. Finally, a chance to sleep peacefully.

Despite all the hours of sleep they had attained over the storm period, they felt so tired. Sleeping during a roaring storm on a rough cave did little for the body.

"Time to go home?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah," Daley said, "Grab your sleeping bags and what fruit you can carry. We're going home."

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Ian and Jory had been idly chatting for about twenty minutes, when Abby and Eric walked back in. Only, there were some differences.

For one, they seemed to be happier than they had been lately. Two, their hair was a mess; worse than it should've been, considering that it had been raining five minutes ago. Three, their clothes were horribly disheveled. Eric's shirt was backwards and Abby's was inside out.

Ian gawked at them, realizing what had happened almost immediately.

"Jeez, what took you guys so long?" Jory asked.

"Uhhhh..."

While Eric stumbled over his speech, Abby was busy looking down, preoccupied with something. Ian could've sworn she was staring at her stomach. He shook his head, clearing his head of such thoughts.

"Eric, wasn't your shirt facing the other way...?"

Horrifying realization hit Jory, and she immediately turned red and began giggling in that "this isn't genuinely funny, but at the same time it is" fashion. Ian began to crack up with her.

"I'm glad you're amused," Abby said.

"It's so hard to believe, yet it fits so well," Ian said.

Eric shrugged, still grinning lightly.

_I'll be damned if it wasn't good, though._

_**Beach...**_

Six pairs of feet arrived on familiar territory.

Six pairs of eyes sweeped the beach, viewing the damage.

Six hearts fell, horrified at what little remained of their home.

Six sighs issued, a representation of the dread to come.

One tent remained standing; the others torn to shreds or gone entirely. The fire pit was strewn about, but Lex smiled when he saw the fire-starter several feet from its original position. He rushed to it, finding there was a light crack in it, but little to worry about; it would still function. The other 29ers continued to inspect the camp.

"Our shower's gone," Taylor said.

"One of our jugs is cracked. The other is fine, though."

"Our fruit pile is gone, and our fishing pole is destroyed. We'll have to make a new one," Jackson said.

"We've still got one of our spears, at least," Nathan said.

"I've got my boomerang," Lex said, waving it.

"Okay. We can survive," Daley said, "Definitely."

"In one tent?" Taylor asked.

"Well... that could prove difficult. We'll have to figure out something. Maybe the airplane... It doesn't seem to have moved. In any case, it's late. We need to sleep," Daley replied.

"I'll sleep outside," Nathan said.

"Me, too," Jackson said.

Melissa smiled lightly, "I'll-"

"No, Melissa. You stay inside, where it's warm," Jackson said, smirking.

Melissa frowned. He smiled back. She stuck her tongue out at him, then smiled.

"Alright."

Daley creeped into the tent, calling for Lex. Taylor followed the boy, thinking of what Allyson would say if she told her that she slept with two girls and a guy while on vacation- at the same time. She chuckled, seeing Allyson's shock in her mind, then envisioning herself explaining.

"Good night, Nathan. Good night, Jackson," Melissa.

"Good night, Mel," they both said, smiling, though Jackson's eyes seemed to have an extra... glimmer in them that made his smile all the more special to Melissa.

Smiling, she entered the tent.

Nathan and Jackson laid down on the damp sand, their hands under the head. Staring at the stars, they made a few remarks of gratefulness for the end of the storm, and a few ironic remarks of gratefulness towards the storm itself.

Quickly, they all were shepherded into the pasture of dreams.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

After a few more minutes of talking with the others, which they found to be a bit awkward, Abby decided it was time to sleep. She and Eric rolled over and were out in a matter of moments.

Jory and Ian, however, had a bit more difficulty.

"Glad the storm's over?" Jory asked.

"Couldn't move before it, during it, or after it, really. Not much of a difference to me, aside from the ambience. Though, being by you for that much time was a bit of a plus," Ian said.

Jory blushed.

"Well, when you put it like that, I suppose the storm wasn't all bad."

"Heh. It ended well enough for Abby and Eric."

Jory closed her eyes, in a disgusted manner.

"Yeah. I suppose it did."

_**Jungle...**_

Abby and Eric walked out towards a nearby spring to collect water to boil.

Abby began to fill up the pot, while Eric walked off, after making a promise to be back quickly.

When he was certain he was out of earshot, Eric turned around and looked the blonde girl leaning against the tree.

"What do you want?" Eric asked, "And don't give me some Grey's Anatomy "I'm here for you" bullshit."

_Eric, Abby's not the best thing for you. Think about it; she's been cruel to you before. Why would she suddenly fuck your brains out?_

"Shut up, Taylor. She's been here for me, when you weren't."

_I wanted to be. But I couldn't just follow you into the woods, when you had no idea what you were doing. I figured you would give up after a little while and come back._

"Yeah, well, look how that worked out for you."

_I'm sorry, Eric... but that's not important right now. What is important is that you get out of here while you can. You've got to come back to us. I still feel cold... Abby is obsessed. She's bent on surviving. If that meant killing you, then she'd do it._

"That's not true! She cares about me!"

_She cares for what you stand for. You just gave her the seed for her ultimate goal._

"No! That's not true!"

_Move along._

"But... without her..."

_Even when your hope is gone... You have to keep moving. So move._

"No!"

_Please, Eric..._

"I'm staying with Abby! You can't stop me! Just go away!"

_Eric... You're hurting me..._

"Then go! Just GO!"

_..._

The specter dissolved into the winds, and Eric stood there, shaking, tears streaming down his face.

_**Beach...**_

The next morning seemed to come far too quickly. Lex had elected to go back to bed, the poor sleep in the cave and the extra hours he put in preparing the storm had finally caught up with him. Melissa, ironically, felt she could use a walk and decided to scout how much other fruit had survived the storm. Nathan and Daley made their own excuse to run off which left Jackson with the one person he wanted to see.

"Taylor."

"Yeah, Jackson?" The blond peered up momentarily from her sticks, then went back to her task when no reply was made.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" Taylor inquired, exasperation stinging her words.

Whether it was the conversation or trying to get sparks going he wasn't sure.

"I owe you an apology."

"Jackson, that-" The tinder ignited, causing her to cut herself short and tend to what she was doing.

"No Taylor; it is necessary. I was an ass. I judged you and that was wrong."

Taylor blinked several times, then replied, "And Eric was a rat, Melissa's been overemotional, Daley's a Nazi in training, and I totally messed with your emotions. Nobody's been saintly around here so chill. It's all good."

Jackson chuckled lightly. "You know," he said as he grabbed the remaining water jug, "I had forgotten how much I'd missed you."

Taylor smiled, though Jackson can't see as he was already walking out of sight.

"Finally something uncomplicated," Jackson whispered to the sky.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Abby walked into the camp with Eric in tow. She set down about ten coconuts, their stockpile, each sloshing inside, spilling a bit of water. Eric sat down ten more.

"We've got ten coconuts on us, to keep us through for a while," Abby said.

"What? Why?" Jory asked, obviously quite confused.

"We need to find a way off the island," Abby answered.

"You're... you're leaving?" Ian asked.

Abby nodded.

"Would you like to come with us?" Eric asked.

"With Ian like he is?" Jory asked, "There's no way we can. I have to stay here with him."

"Sorry," Abby said, with a shrug, "We have to get help."

"So... twenty coconuts of water?" Jory said, almost desperately.

"You can refill it. There's a spring not too far off," Eric said, "Use rocks to mark your trail or something."

"But... we might never see you again. Please... wait a little while," Jory pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Jory, but we have to get rescue. The waiting's starting to crawl all over me," Abby said, coldly.

Jory looked down, sighing, as she cried.

Abby and Eric slung on their backpacks and walked on.

"Goodbye, guys," Ian called out.

They turned around and gave a quick wave and a "see ya", before returning to their journey.

_**Beach...**_

The 29ers had finally all gathered at some point in midmorning. Daley stood and addressed the group.

'

'So...sleeping arrangements. I think it's obvious that we should use the plane. Thoughts?"

"Can't," Lex said quietly.

"Why not?" Nathan asked.

"The plane interior is soaked," Lex began. "Standing waters attracts insects and bacteria. And we can agree-"

"That we don't want anymore illnesses." Jackson finished for him.

"Right." Lex nodded in agreement.

"So what do you suggest then?" Daley asked.

"Well we can either expand the cave," Everyone groaned. "or stick with the arrangements from last night." A second chorus of groans.

"Lex, couldn't we empty the plane out? Bail out the remaining water in buckets." Nathan asked.

"You could but agaiting the water could spread something."

"Well let's put to a vote" Daley said brightly.

Daley, Melissa, and Nathan agreed to cleaning the plane. Lex and Taylor opposed, while Jackson abstained as per usual. To solve the disagreement. Daley suggested Taylor and Lex fix a -fruit only- lunch, and gather some new firewood.

Everyone set to work immediately. Melissa being the weakest of them had agreed to assessing everything in the plane. A set of clothes, what remained of the packaged food, and either Abby's or Jory's journal, all of which she reluctantly bagged up to be buried. Jackson had begun to cut away the flooring, pulling it up as he went. Somehow the floating chunks of carpet amused him, like a child dropping soap into bathwater. Nathan took the first shift at bailing water, and Daley began digging a new pit to contain all of the refuse.

Meanwhile, Taylor and Lex had discovered that finding even remotely dry wood to be near impossible. They had tramped about for over an hour if the sun was any calculation and only had a handful of puny sticks between them. They had chatted incidentally until Lex looked over and asked, "are you okay?"

"Yeah fine. Why?" Taylor replied casually.

"No. I mean it. Really." Lex shot her a pleading glance.

"It's just everything. We're away from our friends and family, now sickness, and storms. It just hit home you know. Something could happen."

"Yeah. I know what you mean. But still Taylor you can't just shutdown like that." She opened her mouth to protest, but he continued, "I miss you too much. We all need everyone. Including you." Taylor stopped, and shifted her bundle to one arm, pulling Lex in for a hug with the free hand.

"Hey Lex?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Race ya back to camp." The two took off squealing as they ran. This ensured that every member of the six remaining at camp were more than tired enough for an extra quiet lunch.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

The past few hours had been uncomfortable for Ian and Jory. It seemed there was nothing to say to do, just a heavy suffocating silence. The humidity had continued to steadily climb as the hotel dried around them. The dampness choking the air like their thoughts choked their words.

"So..." Ian said, hoping the lame conversational springboard would lead somewhere.

"So..." Jory replied, obviously not wanting the silence to continue, but unable to find something to say either.

"What a strange, wonderful, beautiful place we're in."

"How so?"

"It killed Bob, but taught me a lesson about heroism I'll never forget. Honestly, Jory now he'll be remembered forever. There's no greater legacy then someone to sing your song for you. And it took Abby and Eric's souls, but brought them together."

Jory shivered. "But was it worth it?"

Ian laughed. "I wouldn't know. I am not the one who..." Jory shot him a shut-up-now glance. "Okay okay sheesh."

Outside, a dangling branch finally snapped free from the tree it had once been a part of. It hammered into the metal side of the now silent building with a very loud and very unexpected thud. Ian and Jory jumped, their bodies convulsing involuntarily from the impact. For Jory, this was a short discomfort. Her pounding heart quickly returned to normal. Ian wasn't quite as lucky. His broken limb slammed into the compacted dirt sending a fresh strong jolt of pain through him.

Light blinded his vision, nausea rose in his throat, and tears sprang to the corners of his eyes. He tried to scream but the pain far outweighed his ability to scream. His mind flooded with the same thought over and over. Escape the pain. You can't escape the pain.

Jory wanted to help. Looking at Ian in so much pain tore her apart. Do something, her mind screamed. Help him. Save him. Act. Panicked, she climbed over to him, kneeled inches above his form. She watched helplessly as he squirmed and shook. Then without really thinking it through, she leaned down and kissed him.

Ian's mind flooded with the new sensation and endorphins rushed to where they were needed. The pain eased and he relaxed, then Jory straightened up.

They stared at each other. A soft gentle stare full of compassion and perhaps even love.

Silence wasn't so bad after all.

_**Beach...**_

With plane destruction going well, everyone sugested they pause for a break. Jackson and Nathan washed off in the surf, Melissa went for another walk, and Daley decided to look for Lex. She found him slumped over the flooded muddy tarp which once was the vegetable garden. As Daley neared him, she found him shaking, unvented emotions traveling the length of his small body. She pulled him into a hug as his speech muffled against her shirt.

When she finally allows him a chance to breathe and step back, he merely managed to say, "It's gone."

"I know you worked hard, but you couldn't have done anything about it."

Daley gave him a sympathetic smile.

"You don't get it."

He turned away from her, stomping for emphasis.

"It's not about the vegetables, Day."

"The chicken then?" Daley guessed. "Listen Lex. I know it's hard but everything dies."

"Would that have been good enough when your mom died? That everything... everyone dies someday."

Her brows furled her face contorted as anger spread through her. "You did not just equate our parents with an animal."

Her rage startled Lex to his breaking point. He burst into tears as he spoke.

"No! I was referring to," he stopped to suck in snot trailing from his nose and sob a few times.

"I was referring to whoever died out there. But apparently I am the only one who remembers."

With that he sprinted off headlong into the woods, leaving his stunned sister to call after him.

"Lex. Lex! Wait!"

Daley felt as if he punched her in the stomach. She had forgotten. She sunk to the ground for her own good cry.

_**Jungle...**_

Although Eric and Abby had set out a long while ago, each was lost in their thoughts.

Underneath dragon Abby, monster Abby, survival is paramount Abby, her... task... was beginning to get to her. She could feel her own hestation about it now.

Much like swallowing the first insect. The moment itself had been purely instinct, but afterward there was that pang of guilt, of self loathing at the life she had crushed between her teeth. It was almost too much to handle.

She had locked her old self in a tight box to prevent it from feeling the pain. She was on the tightrope now; thinking too much would mean she'd lose her nerve. She would fall, and there was no net. And no turning back.

While Abby had been trying to do anything but focus on her feelings, that was all Eric wanted. He wanted any part of himself back. As the girl struggled to maintain her teetering balance, all Eric could desire was ending the fall. That was what insanity felt like, endlessly falling as the strength was pulled from his body and spirit. Then as the sheer panic overwhelmed him, he'd black out. If the others weren't putting him on, then that must be where he slipped into characters.

But all Eric could remember was the exhaustion afterwards. He didn't want to go there again. He wouldn't. So he focused on Abby. Trying to reconjure every detail, every sensation, from last night. Her smell. Her taste. Her touch. Her voice.

_Wait. She's actually saying something._

"Huh. Wha?" Eric asked.

"I said we're almost there."

Abby sighed at having to repeat herself.

"Well then maybe we should talk. About anything. Last night?" He waggled his eyebrows in classic confidence, even though Abby (who was walking ahead) couldn't have possibly seen the gesture.

"Eric. Shut up."

He frowned and their journey resumed without further exchange.

_**Beach...**_

Having finished cleaning up the plane, the 29ers settled down for dinner. Lex and Taylor prepared this one as well, making it up out of clams and fruits, gathered on various trips throughout the day, during their boredom, when they weren't able to assist in the plane clean-up.

"Well, now we've got a giant hunk of metal, but it'll shield us from the wind and rain," Daley said.

"We need a replacement for the covers, or else it's useless as a bed," Jackson said.

"If we get enough leaves, it would be livable," Lex said.

"Alright. We'll gather some leaves for tonight, then gather more tomorrow. We'll have to keep on eating fruit and clams for a while... since we've got so much other stuff to do, fishing just seems unimportant," Jackson said.

"I've missed the fish," Nathan said, shrugging.

"Oh, dear sweet vampire Jesus, did you fuckers seriously lose this much spine without me around? Fruits and clams? Come on, now."

Six pairs of eyes locked on the intruders.

Six hearts stopped.

Six gasps echoed out over the beach.

"E-Eric...?" Taylor whispered.

"And that's not all," Eric said, "Tada!"

He waved his arm to the side, directing the tunnel-vision of the 29ers to Abby.

The beach residents all stood up, preparing welcome for their prodigal siblings.

"Don't bother. I can fix what I need for myself," Abby said, coolly.

Six minds stopped, processing the predatory undercurrents in her voice.

"Abby...?" Taylor asked.

"Taylor... the Judas," Abby said, her eyes narrowing at the girl.

"Woah, what?"

"You betrayed Eric, as I recall. The rest of them cast him out, but he had hardly considered them close to begin with. You were the Brutus in this story," Abby said, a dangerous edge in her voice.

"Hey, all I wanted was to avoid splitting from the group. I knew it wasn't a good idea, but I knew I couldn't change Eric's mind. I figured he'd come back after a day or two," Taylor said.

Six minds wondered what had happened... They were so different.

"Eric... what's happened to you?" Jackson asked, "You look... scared, man."

"Scared? Why would I be scared?" Eric said.

"Well, something weird happened out there a couple days ago... Surely you heard that scream," Lex half-muttered.

"Sc-scream...?" Eric asked.

_**AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...!**_

Jory's tears.

Ian's head tossed back.

The cause.

The spear.

The captain's maddened eyes rolling back in his head.

Eric grasped his head, bending over, his eyes screwed shut.

"No, no, no... d-didn't m-mean to..."

Abby grabbed him, stood him upright, and pressed his lips to hers.

The strange display caused the 29ers to gape.

"Wh-what...?" Daley asked.

"...Woah," Nathan muttered.

The display started to turn passionate, when Daley shouted a quick, "Hey! Minor present! And we are _severely _grossed out by this, for the record."

Abby and Eric seperated.

"Whatever keeps you sane," Abby said, mysteriously.

Eric, for his part, was trying hard not to grin. He wasn't succeeding, but he was trying.

"Abby... did you find Jory and Ian?" Melissa asked.

Abby looked at Melissa. Two voices piped up within her.

_Caring._

_Weak._

_Compassionate._

_Stupid._

_Sweet._

_Dead weight._

"Yeah. I found them. Ian broke his leg. I left them with water for several days. Jory is fully capable of taking care of them both," Abby said.

"We need to get them here," Jackson said.

"Why the hell would you just leave them there?" Nathan snapped, "What is wrong with you?"

"I cut my losses and headed out, hoping to find some chance of survival," Abby snapped.

Her words sank in, horrifying six souls.

"...You would've let them die?" Jackson asked.

"I left them water. Jory can take care of herself," Abby said.

For a moment, it seemed like she was startled by her actions. Then, she re-steeled herself, and no emotion was on her face.

"Yeah, Jory had been taking care of Ian before we found them," Eric said, "So lay off."

"No, no. I believe you. I just can't believe you referred to them as _losses_, which you _cut_," Jackson said.

Abby cocked her head, examining Jackson. The refugee noticed the stare and shivered. It was worse than the counselors or the judge, who had been examining him for some form of hope. She seemed to be sizing him up as a tool.

Eric stepped in front of Abby, "Don't wanna do this, Jackson."

For a moment, every ounce of tension that had been between Jackson and Eric in their time on the island hung there between them. For a moment, both boys felt their bodies tighten as adrenaline pumped through them, and their minds sharpened and their eyes honed in on one another.

In that moment that lasted a year, everyone felt as if the temperature had dropped twenty degrees.

Then it passed, as Jackson stepped back, willing to back down for now.

"We'll need to go after Jory and Ian and get them back to camp, tomorrow. It's getting dark; we'd never make it back," Daley said.

"Alright... I'll go," Jackson said, "Abby and Eric, you'll lead me there and back."

"I'm going with you," Daley said.

"No. Nathan is," Jackson said, looking pointedly at her.

Daley's eyebrows rose, until she saw the strange look in his eyes. It was one she was unfamiliar with, but it held a great amount of warning and caution. She nodded.

"Alright, I'll go with you," Nathan said.

"Let's... get to bed," Taylor said, looking cautiously at Eric.

"Abby, Eric, grab enough leaves to sleep comfortably on. You can sleep with Nathan and I in the plane," Jackson said.

"We'll sleep on the beach," Abby said.

Eric nodded in agreement.

"Whatever," Jackson muttered.

As they prepared for bed, the beach residents' minds reeled, wondering how Eric and Abby could've changed so much.

_What madness was this...?_

**End of Chapter Nine**


	10. Dionysus' Followers

_**Dionysus' Followers...**_

_**...or...**_

_**A Not-Quite Songfic**_

**Yay for more obscure references! With almost-yaoi! And more fourth wall breaking!**

**The Bacchanal's Song is (C) CerberAsta, Bob's Dirge is (C) CerberAsta, Melreincarna**

_**Woods...?**_

Eric walked through the woods, curiously examining the trees. He stepped gently through the forests, listening. Something was up with the forest. It seemed different from the forest that he was used to. There was something strange in the air, something mystical and strange.

He heard gentle singing ringing through the air...

_Making merry everywhere_

_The most feral of the fair_

_Bacchanals, we three be_

_Devouring all that we see_

Eric was so mesmerized by their voices that he didn't register the lyrics.

_Nymphs of the flowing wine_

_Lovers of the growing vine_

_Dionysus is our king_

_Tis of he we three sing_

Eric heard the voices getting ever closer, and the feral note under it. Fear began to creep through his body, until he saw the three women, naked and beautiful. Perfectly toned with flowing blond hair, they smiled great smiles as they rushed towards him.

_Fellow, you must come along_

_Fellow, you must sing our song_

Eric nodded and rushed to meet them. The women began to change, growing horrendous claws and teeth. Eric screamed as they overtook him, ripping him to pieces.

_Now, die, our brother, feed us well_

_Flee to Hades, leave this hell!_

_**Beach...**_

Covered in a terror-induced film of sweat, the blond sat up, without a sound. He looked around, half-frenzied, by his terrible nightmare. Shivering, he pulled his knees into his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He rocked back and forth, mumbling gently, but obviously scared. He sniffled, holding back tears as best as he could.

Shaking his head, Eric laid back down.

Abby and Jackson watched the blond, warily, for their own reasons. When it was clear that the father of both Abby's oncoming child and so much of Jackson's strife was fast asleep, the black haired teens rolled over and began to doze.

**F29D**

Nathan yawned and stretched, looking around. For a moment, he was disoriented by the plane's interior, until the memories came back to him. It reminded him of the first mornings at the island, when he so expected to wake up in his bed. Shaking his head and scattering leaves, Nathan looked over and saw Jackson groggily standing up, the dent in the patch of leaves indicating he had been sleeping by the doorway.

"Let's go," Jackson said, "I can't see Eric."

"Wha?"

More disorientation. Eric _had_ come back to them last night. Why the hostility, though...?

"I don't trust him. Something happened out there, that those bastards aren't telling."

Nathan blinked, noting that Jackson really didn't curse often.

"Just like how you didn't tell us about the cave?"

"...Not the same."

Jackson walked out the doorway and towards the fire.

_**Campfire...**_

Eric stared at the fire he had started with the device he had created. The flames seemed so chaotic, yet beautiful. His mind was at peace, now, as it had temporarily forgotten everything that had happened, starting with the break.

He looked up at some of the incoming 29ers.

"Hey, guys," he said, cheerily enough.

"Hey... Eric," Daley said, confused.

"Hey, Tay," Eric said, smiling.

Taylor smiled lightly at him, then sat down beside him.

"You okay, Eric?" she asked.

"Of course he is. He's with me," Abby said, coldly, sitting down on the other side of Eric.

Eric's eyes slammed shut at Abby's voice, and he shuddered. His eyes opened again, now glazed over. The 29ers looked at him for a moment, disturbed by the strange moment, if not realizing what it meant.

The children ate breakfast, consisting entirely of fruit and seaweed, in a companionable manner, with nice chatting sprinkled throughout. Then, it came to business.

"Alright, guys," Daley said, "Time for chores."

"Taylor, you and Lex collect more fruit. Get it in a nearby stockpile... and don't hurt yourself. We need to get started on water. Eric, you lug the water jug to the fountain and back. Melissa, you get the fire started in the meantime. It may take longer due to the wet ground. Abby and Jackson, you two start gathering your own supplies, for when you guys and Eric go off to get Jory and Ian, in case you get lost," Daley said, "Nathan-"

"Now, wait just a minute. What are you trying to pull? I'm on water detail again? This is _bullshit_."

"Eric, _shut the hell up_," Jackson snapped, "You come into our home, with your problems, then you're going to _work_. Deal with it."

Eric snorted with rage, glaring at Jackson. The two locked eyes, and Jackson stared into the abyss. He had been there before, living out on the streets of nowhere. This was surprising, but hardly new to him. He was a Titan, and the abyss held nothing to him. He had been to Tartarus, as it were.

"...Nathan... you gather leaves for the plane. We'll meet back at...," Daley trailed off, looking at her watch, "My... my watch is dead."

"Mine died yesterday," Taylor said, looking at it for a moment.

Daley sighed.

"We may have to figure out a new way to tell time. Damn. For now, just rely on your shadow. When it's gone, I'll come call you," Daley said.

And with that, the teens set to work, a wide variety of emotions rippling through them.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Jory sighed, standing up.

"I won't let him be there any longer. He needs to be buried," Jory said.

Ian looked over at the body of Bob, already being eaten at by flies and such. He nodded.

"I'm sorry I can't help."

Jory shrugged, "It's alright, really. But... do you know any funeral songs? I'd like it if you sung while I worked..."

Ian thought for a moment, "I don't rightly know any... but with Asta backing me up, I could improvise."

Jory smiled at him, not noticing the fourth wall breakage. She did a double-take a moment later, but shrugged. She dragged Bob's body over to the grave. Jory looked over at her, from beside the grave. Through much work, he had been taken out, for safety's sake.

_Death in life_

_Peace in strife_

_The natural course_

_All for the worse_

Jory nodded gently as she rolled Bob's body into the grave. It hit with a thud and Jory winced; her throat contracted and two tears dripped from her eyes into the grave. Ian's voice filled her ears and she steeled herself.

_As the river flows_

_As the tree grows_

_It happens, sure_

_There is no cure_

Jory drug up her Excalibur, her Ascalon, her Master Sword. She plunged her great weapon into the ground. With all her might, she brought it to bear. The dirt gave in to the shovel, and fell into the pit, with Bob. She winced, looking at him. Nothing to do about it.

_Just keep going_

_Don't stop rowing_

_On this river of life_

_Float on through the strife_

Jory let the words and melody consume her as she kept shoveling the dirt. The nice heaps around the pit were clustered together, usually to the side. It had been a good idea, as otherwise... they might have crushed them, or just been too big a barrier against them getting out. Now it was an extra obstacle to filling the hole. Still, she pushed on, through the dull minutes, as Ian's voice kept filling her mind with the strength needed.

_No time to pause_

_To think about cause_

_We must move ahead_

_And leave the dead_

Everything was becoming a blur. Ian's voice, digging, the dirt, the body, the grave, and so many other things. Jory didn't know how much time had passed. It may very well have been an hour. In truth, it had been a mere 20 minutes, as Ian had repeated the song and went into various humming intervals, before inspiration struck him one final time.

_Death in life_

_Peace in strife_

_Tis a natural force_

_Filled with remorse_

Jory smoothed out the ground and Ian's voice quieted down, the song done. The blanket of comfort was gone, but Jory felt, for the moment, hollow.

"Goodbye, Bob," she whispered.

The young girl, already aware of more pain in life than most adults, sat down by Ian, gently. She curled up next to him; he slid an arm around her and held her against him as best as he could. Gently, oh so gently, Jory laid there, crying.

_**Forest...**_

Lex stooped down to pick up a crushed mango. It couldn't be saved, so it was instead eaten immediately. A moment later, Lex started to stand up, heading into a cracked branch

"Lex, watch your head!" Taylor shrieked.

He stood up carefully, backing away from the tree. "Thanks, Tay." He tore the mango in two and presented half to the blond. "Here." She took it from him and sucked hungrily.

Lex hopped over another downed tree. "The destruction is awful. Our fruit supply has been cut very short, and the fish will be gone for a few days."

"Good" Taylor said automatically.

"Good?" Lex asked puzzled.

"No more killing," she explained.

"Ohhh...vegetarian... right. Why?"

"Just couldn't do it anymore. At home, it was always easier to find a reason. Already dead and cooked."

"But here we're making a conscious choice to kill."

Taylor nodded. She cast her eyes downward and squeezed the tight lump forming in her throat already. "It's just not right"

"But naturally we're the greatest predator. We're supposed to eat other animals.'

"Lex, try it without thinking from your mind, but from your heart." Taylor poked each body part appropriately.

"I think everyone feels a slight bit of guilt there." Lex frowned for a moment. "Yet, few have enough of it to do anything but ignore it or make fun of others to somehow make them seem more right."

"Yeah. Just what I need. Another reason to be disliked before people know me. As if being bi and rich wasn't enough."

"Just tell them you care about the environment."

"Huh?"

And so for the rest of the walk Lex explained why world hunger would virtually cease if we stopped using so much grain for commercial livestock and much more water it takes to raise one cow than one plant. Taylor caught virtually nothing but Lex liked being listened to, and this new Taylor found she liked to listen.

_**Campfire...**_

Melissa should have found something to do, but instead she was alone again and thinking as the flame crackled and danced before her. If she listened carefully, even above the commotion around her, she could hear the ocean waves rolling up on the beach, gently caressing the sand's edge, like a perfect kiss. It was Abby, surprisingly enough, who had taught Melissa to compare the ocean to emotion. They spent many days off at the beach, and Abby would always tell her what the ocean was feeling. It stuck with Melissa in a profound way. Anger and sadness fell as rushing currents, slamming into the sides of her soul. The new Abby no longer held the tides of the ocean; now she was a fire, slowly eating herself away from the inside, burning all she touched.

Melissa heard the crunching of feet upon the grass; she turned and saw Eric walking towards her. His entire body seemed tightly strung, like it was wound too tight, and was ready to spring out. He dropped his water jug with a mild grunt and walked off.

"Thanks, Eric, for coming back."

He gave no indication that he had heard.

Melissa sighed. Abby had obviously changed, but in some ways it was good. Survival was necessary. Eric seemed... strange, however. She sighed again, deciding not to ponder over it, as she set to boiling more water.

_**Beach...**_

By the time the hour had actually struck noon, most of the group was already back. Abby faced away from the group, dismantling a large cricket-like insect with nauseating precision. Jackson had brought back the fish which Melissa had already set to frying.

"Nathan! Lex! Lunch!" Daley called.

"You should start without them, get more food for yourself," sneered Abby.

"That's unnecessary. There's more than enough for all of us." Daley replied, staring impatiently into the trees.

Abby reached into the the flame and withdrew the charcoaled fillet, barely wincing as the cooked flesh burned her now. "Now there isn't," she declared, cramming her mouth full to demonstrate.

Daley glared at her, but said nothing as Melissa started a new piece of fish. Nathan and Lex came trodding into camp.

"Aww, it's not even ready yet. I am starving," Nathan whined.

"Well, with how long you took we would have burned all the fish," Melissa teased.

Taylor walked over and grabbed a piece of fruit. "Wouldn't have mattered to me".

" Aww, how sweet the blond princess cares about the little fishies," Abby laughed darkly.

"Abby, of all of them you should understand."

Taylor tensed, looking almost ready to cry.

"You're right... I do understand. I understand how weak you are for putting an animal above your own survival."

Taylor began to sniffle and ran off. Lex got up and followed her.

Jackson stood up and knocked sand from his pants as he followed Taylor and Lex's path with his eyes, "Alright. Lunch over. Sounds like a good time to get Ian and Jory."

Abby nodded and Eric scrambled to follow. Nathan tucked a piece of fruit under his arm.

"Ready," Nathan smiled.

With that, the four set out and Melissa and Daley ate the remaining fish quietly. A few words were exchanged, all of them tense and without any sense of meaning. Too much shock.

Despite that the group was soon to be fully reunited it seemed they were more fractured than ever.

_**Hotel Tango...**_

Ian and Jory sat there, staring at the recently disturbed dirt.

"Well... he's finally buried..."

Ian nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Thanks."

"Thank you for the singing. It helped."

Jory looked up at Ian, still laying against his shoulder.

"And thank you... for putting up with me. You guys could've ditched me so many times in the woods, to fend for yourselves, without the chubby nerd-"

Ian put a finger to her lips, "Never considered it. Original Abby never did, either. Hell, Bob probably would've suggested to go on without _him_. You know how he was."

Jory nodded.

"Besides, you helped lighten the mood with your nerdy anime references," Ian said.

Jory smiled at him, then looked away, "About... yesterday."

Ian smiled at her, "Nothing to it. You're an awesome girl. I'm an awesome guy."

He brought his hand gently to her face and rubbed her cheek slowly with his thumb, as he brought her to look at him.

"Wanna go out?" he asked.

Jory smiled at him, nodding.

"How about a round two on that kiss? I'm feeling mildly uncomforta-"

Ian found his joke unfinished as Jory already had her lips against his. He also found that he didn't particularly care.

_**Campfire...**_

Melissa lugged in a jug of water and dropped it next to the fire. She noticed the youngest survivor sitting near the fire, and wondered what happened to make him leave Taylor behind. Melissa took off the pot of purified water, which she proceeded to pour into the water bottles. She then refilled the pot with the contaminated water, before finally sitting down next to Lex.

"So, what's up? Taylor alright?" Melissa asked, hugging Lex against her side.

"Yeah. She calmed down after a bit. I told her that Abby's just a little weird right now... and then I thought of it... Something's off about yesterday... something said..."

Melissa looked at Lex for a moment, as she strained herself to remember what had been said. She flipped through the conversation in her mind, trying to notice the oddity.

"They never said anything about the captain...," she said, confused.

"That... that scream...," Lex choked out.

Melissa and Lex looked at one another, locking eyes. Melissa stared into a soul now haunted by two screams of death. Lex looked at an innocent soul that had recently been tainted by continual prodding.

"Captain Russell's... he's dead...," Melissa said, in the smallest of whispers.

_**Forest...**_

Leaves crunched beneath the feet of three teens, as the rescue party left out. Eric and Abby had been traversing the woods near the camp quite a bit lately, and so they knew the territory a good bit better now. The trek would just be long, but not nearly as confusing as it should've been.

"So, Jackson, how have things been?" Eric asked.

"Just fine."

"Taylor...?"

"She's fine."

"Did she... put any moves on anyone?"

Jackson looked at Eric for a moment, as did Abby.

"Why would you care?" Jackson asked.

Eric snorted, turning away.

"Well...?"

The sound of crunching leaves and a tense atmosphere answered him.

"Answer my question, Jackson!"

"No, she didn't. She messed with Melissa after telling us all she was bisexual, but she's done nothing else."

Eric tensed up as he kept moving. Jackson glared at the blond, as the adrenaline and fighting instinct pumped through his body. He balled up his fists, clearly ready for Eric to attack him. Abby looked at him with annoyance. Nathan lightly jabbed Jackson in a clear "chill" sort of fashion. Jackson nearly whirled around and decked him, but found himself narrowly able to control himself.

They kept walking through the woods, listening to the gentle whispering of the wind through the trees. The crunching leaves provided an ominous background music to it all. The searchers continued on what they called a path.

"You two need to chill out," Abby grumbled, moving ahead.

Jackson thought of so many responses. _You two need to tell the rest of us what happened out there. You two need to help us out more. You two need to leave as soon as you find Jory and Ian._

He kept walking, trying to block one thought from his mind, but failing, as it was too prominent a wish to be denied.

_You two need to go back to normal._

_**Beach...**_

Daley sighed as she picked up steadily more and more leaves, bunching them up into a large stack of leaves, which she encircled in her arms and carried to the plane. She splashed them across the rusting floors, already covered with so many leaves. She was deeply grateful that she had assigned Nathan to help her with the leaves earlier. He seemed to be bursting with energy this morning, in anticipation of going to get Jory, Ian, and Captain Russell. She smiled, thinking about the upcoming reunion, until she remembered Eric and Abby. What was wrong with them...? They were so strange, now. So morphed. Warped.

The red-haired leader sighed again as she leaned against the plane, staring at the sky. The sun was making its wayward dip towards the ground. It was probably 3 o' clock now. She looked at her watch, before remembering it was broken. Hnh. So many problems beforehand, and they had all been solved somehow. Teamwork, luck, love for their friends, quick thinking, something. Yet here was a mystery that they couldn't solve with all their brains, strength, or heart.

Daley was snapped out of her descending thoughts by the sound of feet hitting sand rapidly, as if they were running. She looked up to see Melissa and Lex running towards her, clearly scared or panicked or something.

"Daley! Daley! I figured it out!"

"What, Lex? Figured what out!?" Daley demanded, feeling panic welling up inside her, now, as well.

Melissa and Lex slowed down until they stopped, a few feet away from Daley. They stopped to suck in air, but started to talk anyways, in between deep breaths.

"The scream," Melissa gasped.

"It was Captain Russell! Russell's... dead...," Lex gasped, between breaths.

Daley felt a cold stone drop in her stomach. Dead...? The watches' death could be reversed when they returned. Bob's death... never.

What? He was dead. No. No way. No one can die. Surely not. But?

"How? What do you mean?"

"There was the scream a few days ago," Melissa said.

Daley didn't need to be reminded. She remembered that shriek, that god awful scream that haunted her dreams every so often.

"What else?"

"Eric and Abby _never_ mentioned Captain Russell. And do you remember when we mentioned that scream? Eric _flipped _and started babbling about "not meaning to". Something _serious_ happened out there, and I think the captain's death was involved. I think...," Lex stopped here, simply too afraid to go on with.

He didn't need to finish the thought. The others knew what he was about to say.

_Eric killed Russell._

_**Hotel Tango...**_

It was a marvelous thing to find an old toy one had lost. It was a reunion of two things that never should have been separated to begin with, and it brought with it a euphoria. Nathan felt that euphoria as he looked inside the old building and saw Jory and Ian. He immediately rushed in, despite the exhaustion of rushing to keep up with Eric and Abby. When they entered the clearing with the so-called Hotel Tango, Eric and Abby slowed down, dramatically.

Jackson followed Nathan in, and a few moments later, Eric and Abby came in. Nathan knelt by Jory and Ian.

"Ah, man, it's been too long," Nathan said, high-fiving Ian, "Jory, what's up?"

"...Just survivin'."

"Cool, cool. Alright, let's get you guys to the beach," Nathan said, standing up.

"You guys just... stayed there?" Jory asked.

"Yeah. Pretty much. We've done pretty well... mostly," Nathan said.

"Alright. Nathan, you and I will help Ian get up and get back the beach. Jory, you stay ahead of us. Eric and Abby, keep a pace so that Jory is always in sight," Jackson said, in a deeply commanding tone.

Abby nodded, respectfully, with a sly grin on her face. Eric crossed his arms, clearly not liking his position as a follower to Jackson's leader. Jory stood up; Nathan and Jackson helped Ian to his feet.

Nathan felt the happiness of finding his friends all the way back to the beach. Their family was almost whole again.

_**Beach...**_

Everyone had congregated near the beach, as they just couldn't focus on their chores anymore. Daley had tried to raise a fuss, but even she gave up after a few minutes. A few times, they had gone off and gotten something done, but it was usually with all haste, and they immediately returned to the beach. Melissa constantly found herself worrying more about Jackson's safety than anything. A plethora of fatal incidents flew through her head, no matter how many times she shook them away.

There came a rustle in the bushes... a tremble in the trees. Mel heard the faint whisper and smelled the summer breeze. Jackson emerged from the bushes, with the vaguest of smiles on his face, yet with an extreme tenseness about his features.

They immediately noticed Ian's broken leg, as he was supported by Jory and Nathan. Jackson walked out in front of them, guiding the three over to the group. Nathan and Jory gently set Ian down. Abby and Eric emerged from the bushes a few moments later, as everyone gathered around Jory and Ian, excitedly. Only Abby, Eric, Nathan, and Jackson stayed away from them.

"So, you guys glad to be here?" Daley asked.

"We'll make sure you two are super comfortable," Taylor said.

"It may not be much, but it's home to us, for now, I mean," Melissa said, nervously.

"How did you guys survive out there?" Lex asked.

"Hey, hey, heyyyy... chill out... guys, guys, easy up on the questions. I've only got two ears and one mouth. I hear half of your questions and can't even answer those, jeez," Ian said, laughing.

Jory smiled at them; at least some of them hadn't changed.

"So, glad to be of service. Now, when's dinner? Jeez, I'm starved," Eric said.

"Is... is it true that Bob's dead?" Lex asked.

Jory and Ian blinked, then nodded slowly. Their wounds had healed, but not completely. Never completely. Merely a scar, fresh and painful. Eric, on the other hand, froze. Abby looked at him with interest, wondering what would happen now. The blond boy fell to his knees, scratching rabidly at his temples. Everyone looked at him with shock, aside from his mate.

"Eric... what...?" Taylor asked.

Eric looked up, feeling around for a large stick, which he firmly grasped. He looked at it, swinging it experimentally. The blond boy stood up, looking around him. He locked his gaze on Abby for a moment.

"Kitrina... stay there."

He looked towards Jackson, who was away from the rest of the group.

"A Ra'zac!" he hissed.

"Jackson, run!" Jory screeched, "He's hallucinating. Run!"

Jackson looked at her, confused. Then he looked back over to see Eric charge at him with the stick. His temper flared and his muscles tensed. Perfect chance.

"Jackson, no!" Melissa shouted.

Eric leaped forward, bringing the stick down towards Jackson's skull. In an impressive display, Jackson bull rushed Eric, completely negating Eric's momentum and slamming him down into the sand.

"Filth of Galbatorix! You'll pay!" Eric shouted, swinging his stick once more.

Jackson grabbed the stick and wrenched it out of Eric's hands.

"You wanna go, Eric?" Jackson growled, before he snapped the stick over his leg, "Fine. To be honest, you've been a dagger pointed at my family's heart for too long. I've been itching to dull you down a bit."

The others watched the display in horror. Melissa watched as her beloved behaved like such a... monster. Jackson tossed away the pieces of the stick, watching Eric get back up.

"You killed my friends, you insectoid freak!" Eric raged, getting up.

For a moment, Eric froze, looking in a daze, as before his eyes appeared a man in a toga. His cheeks were rosy and he had black hair. Vines wrapped around his body, and the man held a wineglass firmly in his hand. He snickered.

_"Well, my boy... you're facing a Titan. What will you do...?"_

Eric's eyes widened for a moment as the man dispersed from his vision and his eyes focused on the vision of a Ra'zac which blurred into the form of Jackson. All the same, he glared at his foe. A Titan. He gritted his teeth, before rushing forward, his fists balled up. He smashed into Jackson and they fell onto their backs, Eric pummeling him the whole way. Jackson and Eric tumbled across the beach.

Melissa rushed forward, but Abby stood in front of her.

"Leave it. They've been building up to this since chapter _one_," Abby hissed.

"Abby, outta my way," Melissa said, struggling as Abby encircled her with her arms.

"No chance, softy," Abby hissed.

Jackson kicked Eric hard and the blond teen fell to the side. Jackson straddled Eric violently and began pummelling Eric, visions of every jerk he'd ever met flooding through his head. Eric struggled against him, punching, scratching and biting. Yet as Dionysus was torn apart every winter by a Titan, Eric was overtaken by Jackson and was suffering dearly for the grave error he made.

Melissa struggled against Abby, but by this point the others had completely gotten over their shock. Nathan and Daley bolted forward, while Lex and Jory stayed behind. Nathan and Daley pulled at Jackson, until the renegade was off of Eric and on his beach. Eric tried to get up, with such ill intent in his motions that Nathan immediately stomped on his chest, thought not enough to bruise.

"Eric, chill out, man!"

Eric looked up at Nathan, hotly, burning with anger and embarrassment. Jackson struggled for a second, then laid there, still. He glared at Daley, "get off me". Daley stood up and backed away, as Jackson did the same. Melissa rushed over to him and grabbed him in a tight hug, sobbing gently.

"Please don't do that... please...," she whispered.

Jackson put his head against Melissa's, his eyes closed, as he felt his heart sink with the guilt of scaring Melissa.

"I'm sorry..."

Daley looked around at the group. She saw Abby tending to Eric with her removed shirt by dabbing at the blood, trying her best to prevent some form of infection; Nathan was looking to her, his chest rising and falling rapidly with the adrenaline of it all. She saw Jackson and Melissa huddled together. Lex and Taylor had stayed behind with Ian and Jory; all four appeared terrified. It was time to take action.

"There are so many things wrong here right now, and I just can't deal with it right at this second. We need to... cool off. Mel... look after Eric. I'll take over water. Nathan, stay with Mel, and make sure he doesn't lose it again. Lex, Taylor, stay with Ian and Jory. Help them get situated."

She looked at Jackson and Abby; one had kept the fight going and the other had prevented the fight from being stopped sooner. Perpetrators of chaos. They deserved it bad.

"You two!" she stopped, pointing to Abby and Jackson, "Just go take a walk in seperate parts of the jungle, bring back some fruit if you can manage that without killing each other."

Abby took note of the challenge in Daley's eyes, besides she needed some time alone.

Jackson agreed immediately, ''Glad to.''

_**Forest...**_

Jackson and Abby walked casually enough through the forest, both of them looking through the foliage. Jackson did so for something to occupy his mind and help him ignore his minor wounds. Abby did so to find a thin, flexible stick.

She bent over and picked up one, straightened up, and waved the stick experimentally. Her body tensed as it did as she hoped. Mentally, she twinged at how much this would probably hurt. Oh well. She had to kill to survive...

Abby looked at Jackson, "Do you have a knife?"

Jackson handed her his, "Seems I keep having to lend that out."

Abby ignored him and began sharpening the flexible stick. When it was sharpened to her liking, she handed him his knife. They continued on their errand, separating quickly after that. For several minutes, they walked about through the forest, staying to themselves, but within range. Abby found a large tree and stood behind it, where Jackson couldn't see her. With a deep sigh and a mental walling, she dropped her pants. She examined the stick, preparing for pain.

Slipping her underwear down, gently, she kept assaulting herself with questions.

_Can I do this?_

_Should I do this?_

_How can I?_

_Why?_

She shook herself.

_Yes, I can._

_Yes, I should._

_Stab the embryo._

_Because I have a stronger father in mind..._

She opened her eyes and prepared herself once more. Gently, she slid the stick inside herself. When she had sex with Eric, it had stretched her out to where the size of the stick didn't bother her as much. Other facts, though: it had no lubrication, it was abrasive, and it was _very_ sharp. Abby screamed in agony, pulling the stick back out. The girl fell over, writhing in the pain of having her most sensitive body part violated so painfully.

Jackson stood over her a second later.

"Abby!? What hap-"

Jackson stopped, staring at her exposed lower half and the stick.

"ABBY!? WHAT THE HELL!?"

Abby laid there, crying for several more moments, before she calmed herself. Panic and anger swarmed through her. Jackson knew. She had been too weak to do what she had to. Damn it all.

"Abby!? What the fuck are you trying to do?"

"Need a fucking... coat hanger..."

Jackson's eyes widened, "Holy _shit_. What the hell is wrong with you? Did you-?"

"I fucked him two nights ago, towards the end of the storm."

"Eric?"

Abby cringed, sobbing again as she touched for a moment. Her fingers came back with blood on them.

"Yeah..."

"Abby... are you that fucking stupid? Did you expect to not get pregnant?"

"Count... ahhh... on it..."

"You wanted to...?"

Abby stood up, or tried to, before collapsing again. The tears kept streaming, as the blood started to clot. She was lucky. She had only a few minor cuts.

"Wanted to. To survive."

"Uhhh..."

At this point, Jackson's mind had been too blasted with weirdness, unexpected occurrences, and outright insanity to work right anymore.

"Have to... survive," Abby said, standing up.

She stayed standing, this time. Jackson continued to keep his eyes away from her lower regions as she covered them. She doubled over as a final twinge of crippling pain washed over her.

"Fuck..."

"Abby... you're insane... You're completely and totally insane."

Abby Fujimoto looked up at Jackson, her nostrils flaring, her eyes narrowed in anger.

"I intended for you to be the father, but I can see you're too weak, now. Eric will persevere, I know it."

"Abby... you need help. I'll tell the others..."

Abby grabbed his throat in an incredibly quick motion. Before she could blink, Jackson held his knife against her stomach.

"Survival's difficult when you're staring at your intestines. _Let go_," Jackson said, with rage he had never unleashed to any of the others.

"Kill me? Wanna explain that one?" Abby hissed.

"Do _you_?"

Abby let go, and Jackson took away his knife. Abby kept her gaze on her opponent, never breaking eye contact.

"Now then, you've got a choice, Jackson," Abby said, "You tell them what happened here... and you _will_ be the father."

Jackson tilted his head in confusion and anger, "_What?_"

"We've been out here for thirty minutes. Plenty of time for us to do it."

Jackson flinched from the words. What the hell? It wasn't obscene. She didn't say _"for us to fuck"._ Just "do it", like back in 6th grade. Yet those two words hit him harder than a truck.

"Why'd they believe you?"

"You were never keen to this, but I expressed to Melissa that I had a... _deep_ infatuation for you, before we left on the trip. I made a friendly bet with Taylor that I'd be dating you by the end of the trip. Everyone knows I have a motive. Everyone may think you'll be banging Melissa soon, but it won't take much to convince them that you've done an about-face. Teenagers do it all the time. I wonder how much your _family_ will like that," Abby said, in a complete and total predatory dead-pan.

Jackson felt a wave of nausea wash over himself. He had lost his family once before, and he never wanted to do so again.

"In the relationship between the king and his horse, roles can switch. _I'm the king, now_."

Jackson fell to his knees, "I won't say a word."

"Good," Abby said, before pulling his face to look up at hers, "Don't even _dare_ to attempt to escape from my grip, or my staff will come down on your skull with all the vengeance of a pissed off monarch. _You will not survive._"

Jackson only nodded complacently, completely broken by Abby's words. His spirit had been reigned in, and now he was completely helpless.

_**Campfire...**_

Eric sat there, numbly, but obviously agitated. Melissa slowly wound a bandage around his arm; he winced and she loosened it a bit, until he no longer winced. She tied the bandage off and looked at it, testing it a bit. Eric grunted something like "thanks" and laid down on his side.

"You okay, Eric?" Melissa asked.

He didn't respond in the least.

"Leave him be, Mel...," Ian advised.

Melissa glanced at him, then shuffled closer to them. She saw how Ian and Jory huddled close together, hugging a little. It made her smile at how cute they were together, then it made her wish she could be that close to Jackson. She didn't suppose he was the huggling kind. She sighed, exasperated.

"Why is he like this?" Melissa asked.

"It's man pride. He fought, he lost. His man pride has been hurt, and he has to be attended to by a girl. More man pride damage," Ian said.

"Seems... silly. I mean, you got your leg broken and have been helped by Jory and Abby, but you're not all sulled up," Melissa said.

"Different men have different levels of man pride. Just so happens that I quickly took note of the advantages of being attended by this lovely lady," Ian said, with a quick show of teeth.

Jory smiled and chuckled. Melissa gave a light grin at the display, before casting a glance at Eric, who remained curled up, radiating depression. She looked down, with a frown.

_If only I could help him..._

_**Shallow Water...**_

"I just don't understand it," said Taylor, who was pacing and clearly stressed out.

"What?" asked Lex, from his place on the ground

"Why did he go and do that?"

"Why did who do what?" asked Lex, clearly confused.

"Jackson. He just attacked Eric for like nothing."

"Taylor-" Lex started.

"No, no, don't even start. It wasn't Eric's fault."

Lex tried again, "Jackson was only protecting us. Eric was angry."

"The only one we need protection from is Jackson. Eric couldn't hurt anyone." Taylor's eyebrows furled and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"If only you knew what I knew. You...you saw how Eric's changed. Someone had to do something and Jackson did."

"I can't believe you're defending him!" she shrieked, tears starting to trickle slowly from her eyes.

"Tay, I didn't mean to-"

"I've lost my only friend on this stupid island!"

"That's not true, Tay. I'm your friend, right?"

She stopped then and turned towards Lex.

_He was right._

"Of course you are."

And they hugged and for the moment, everything seemed like it could be alright.

_**Spring...**_

"I just don't understand it," said Daley who was pacing and clearly angry.

"What?" asked Nathan from his place on a stump.

"Why did he go and do that?"

"Why did who do what?" asked Nathan clearly confused.

"Eric. Coming back and messing everything up."

"Daley-"

"No. Don't even tell me he's not well. I don't care. He disrupted our home. He deserved what he got."

Nathan tried again. "Eric was hallucinating. He's snapped. Jackson can't just jump all over him."

"I can't believe you're defending him!"

"I am not. Just my main priorities are you and Lex. I don't want to see anyone I love getting hurt.

_He loves me._

"I love you too Nathan."

And they kissed and for the moment, everything seemed like it could be alright.

_**Beach...**_

Dusk has approached and most of survivors had collected together. Jackson and Abby were still absent, having been gone almost an hour, had only added to the previous tension.

"Should we start?" Lex asked staring down at his meal.

"We'll wait five more minutes," Daley said and the topic was closed.

Abby came through the trees first. She approached the camp and sat immediately, avoiding all eye contact. Snagging a leaf from the ground, she tried futilely to to wipe off what any girl would recognize as the red brown stain of blood. Growling with annoyance she rose and strode quickly but evenly to the nearby ocean as the others watched her swish her hands so vigorously it looked as if she was clawing at her skin.

As Abby walked back towards camp, strolling more confidently now, Jackson crashed through the trees. His back bent, head down with his eyes burning a hole in the sand at a forty-five degree angle in front of him. Common street posture through a bad neighborhood. Or though a good one when you had something. Every few steps, he sort of jerked forward as if he were being yanked on an invisible chain. Though only one of them knew how close that was to the truth.

Daley stood, hands on hips. "Jackson, you're late."

"Dinner," Melissa's voice. Sweet, caring, concerned.

"Going to bed," Jackson announced to no one in particular.

"What's wrong?" Lex asked. Curious, confused.

Jackson stopped at the doorway to the plane. He took a deep breath in and out then did something he did well.

Lied.

"Nothing. Just tired. I think we all could use sleep." He cast a quick annoyed glance at Abby.

"Especially you. After all you've done today," Abby said threateningly.

Nathan didn't like where this was going, "Jackson's right. It's been a long day. We should all head to bed. The others muttered in agreement and drifted to their sleeping places, while Taylor doused the day's flame.

_No matter where they lay,_

_or what reassurances they say._

_One thing was clear,_

_Nothing was fine here._

**End of Chapter Ten**


	11. Morpheus' Curse

_**Morpheus' Curse...**_

_**...or...**_

_**The Chapter Mel Wrote Nearly Half Of...**_

**The song is reaching its final note. And the titles just get more and more obscure. Yeah, Mel surprised me by writing almost half of this chapter.

* * *

**

_**Forest...**_

The camera flickered on. A small line of static slowly moved down the screen as a hand fiddled around in front of it.

"Thank God it still works..."

The voice was scratchy for a moment. Everything cleared up after a few seconds and a dark setting came into a clear view. The dark-haired teen sat down on a log. He put his fingertips together, nervously.

"I've been threatened... all my life."

He sighed.

"But... I could shake 'em off. Knives I could dodge. Guns I could avoid. People I could shun."

He stood up and began to pace. Finally, he stopped in front of the camera.

"But then I got stranded here! On this stupid island. Shunning people... was kicked to the curb. I opened up. I got to know them. And they know me a little, too."

He looked at the camera directly.

"Now... I'm facing a new threat. And it's not exactly one I can ignore. I have family now. Melissa, Daley, Nathan, Lex. They're my family."

Gritting his teeth, the boy appeared to be forcing back tears.

"I can't... I can't even bear the thought of losing them..."

Sighing, he looked to the side.

"So... for now, I'll go with Abby's threat. I hate every second of it. I sense her eyes on the back of my head. I feel her breath on the back of my neck. I hear her voice in my head. It won't go away... I'm getting paranoid... This waking nightmare..."

The haunted eyes looked at the emotionless eye of the camera. Neither blinked for a long time, before Jackson closed his eyes in a solemn manner, before shutting off the camera.

_**Fireside...**_

In contrast to the tension of yesterday breakfast was noisy and jovial. There was an abundance of light chatter and laughter as Eric cracked a few jokes. To most of the group, everything seemed fine. Abby and Jackson stayed quiet, but this went unnoticed, as neither was known to be very talkative anyway.

Towards the end of the meal Lex announced he had something to show everyone. Nathan suggested he get it now and Lex scampered off looking like an outgoing kindergarten kid at show and tell time.

He returned and held the object up for everyone to see.

"What is it? It looks like the top a flashlight" Taylor asked.

"You're close," Lex said, "It's a signal light. I have rigged it to blink. We can charge it during the day and set it up each night to trigger passing ships while we're asleep."

"Lex that's a great idea," Melissa said smiling.

Lex beamed and took his seat.

"Thanks. I just hope it works."

Following Lex's little presentation, Daley stood and took on leadership mode once again. "For today's chores, the plane's still coated with dry leaves, so that's good," Nathan nodded in agreement, and Daley continued.

"Jackson and Lex, collect fruit and give us a rough estimate of how much we have left out there. We need to keep watching our supply."

"Melissa and Jory collect and boil water. That will allow one of you to keep an eye on Ian." Jory shot Daley a smile of thanks for understanding.

"Abby and Eric if you want you're welcome to hunt, anyone who does not want to eat it will have fruit. Meanwhile Taylor, Nathan, and I will set up the light Lex made." Lex came forward and handed her his latest invention. When it was clear everyone knew their assignment they dispersed.

_**Forest...**_

Lex picked up the discarded fruit easily, as he chattered away on some topic or another, of which Jackson had paid little interest to. Jackson caught his name and looked up.

"Uh... yeah, sure," Jackson said casually.

"I just asked if you believed in dinosaurs," the younger boy sighed, "ignored again" he muttered.

Jackson felt a small uncharacteristic moment of remorse. He wondered when Lex's opinion had started to mean so much. "Sorry," he said earnestly.

"It's okay I am used to it. Just-" Lex cut himself off, watching Jackson's eyes dart back and forth. "what are?"

"Shh" Jackson hissed. They stayed tense for a moment. Then Jackson visibly relaxed, exhaling. "Now what were you saying?"

"I was just wondering what's wrong. You seem on edge."

"It's nothing. Let's just keep moving," They broke out in a short sprint, and Lex had trouble keeping up with him.

"Jackson…slow…down," Lex pleaded between pants. But just as Jackson started to oblige he saw a shadow of Abby up ahead, just to his left. He heard her voice ringing in his ears as if she were calling him.

_Don't slip up. I am always watching you._

Turning sharply to his right, Jackson pressed himself up against a tree and waited. Her voice continued echoing

_Take my secrets from me, I'll take your family from you. You'll be alone again._

Meanwhile, Lex caught up with Jackson's frantic pace. The leaves under his feet crunched, and Jackson stiffened, collecting a stick to defend himself.

Lex arrived on the other side of the tree and Jackson jumped out in front of him, stick poised.

"It's Lex!" The small boy cried, terrified.

Jackson drops the stick immediately, "Oh. It's just you."

"Who else would it be? Wait. Don't answer that. Let's just get back to camp."

"Yeah. Back to camp. Right." And they walked in an uneasy silence, Jackson tensing at every noise, like a child after a first "scary" movie. Lex took note of it all, but asked no more questions.

_**Fireside...**_

Melissa felt as if she were dragging the jugs the last few feet. Slightly winded, she finally allowed herself to collapse into the soft sand. "I don't think I'm cut out for this."

Ian jumped as he experienced a fresh stab of pain. "It's your fourth trip today," he said through gritted teeth.

"And your last, so don't be so hard on yourself," Jory added with a smile.

"Thanks, guys," Melissa looked over the pair and their adoration for each other warmed her. She loved the way they were, each gazing gently into the others' eyes. It felt so magical, just like a good romance novel.

She wondered if she and Jackson would ever be that at ease with each other. They would someday, she hoped. She shook head to clear her thoughts and tossed Jory a water bottle.

Jory immediately knelt next to Ian and carefully poured some into his mouth, then straightened up and took a drag for herself.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Melissa smiled again. Beauty in the horror. That's what they were.

_**Forest...**_

The hunters crept, silently, though the woods. Very few leaves crunched beneath their feet, as they made sure to step on their tip-toes, looking about carefully. Eric's eyes darted about almost erratically, while Abby's slowly scanned the area. They stepped along, each bearing a spear.

"There," Eric hissed, pointing.

Abby looked where he pointed and saw the pig. It was a somewhat small pig, but she knew it would be fine. She licked her teeth, an evil grin on her face. Eric looked at her, his brow raised. She nodded, approvingly, and he smirked.

Eric and Abby advanced towards the pig, slowly. They held gripped their spears tightly. The pig sniffed at a tree. Abby tapped Eric's shoulder. The cue. The spear flew. It stabbed the pig in the hind leg and it squealed in pain, falling on its side, helpless.

Abby walked over to it, slowly. Blood gushed from the pig's wound and it continued yowling. She stared down at the beast, snorting.

"Weakling."

The spear went through its head, and the squealing stopped. Abby looked over at Eric, who seemed to be breathing heavy. She sighed, as he shook himself.

"A-Abby... l-let's go..."

Abby rolled her eyes.

"Don't puss out on me, Eric," Abby snapped.

Eric looked towards her, his nostrils flaring. He had been through too much to suffer _that_ indignity.

"What was that, Abby?" he growled.

"You heard me, Eric."

Eric started towards Abby, angrily. She smirked. Eric _was_ the right choice after all. Get him a bit more stable in his survival instinct and he'd be the perfect father.

"Don't think I won't hit you cuz you're a girl," he hissed.

"Don't think I wouldn't like that."

"Yeah."

Eric paused after a moment.

"..............Wait. What?"

Abby snorted, "Try not to be so predictable in the future. In the meantime, let's get this back to camp."

Eric arched a brow, but didn't question it any further. With a sigh, he picked the spear up, pulling it out of the pig with relative ease. The other came out with a little more difficult. He tossed both sticks to Abby, who inspected them for a moment. She held one end of each up, then looked at Eric.

"Get some vines. Tie its legs to both sticks. That'll make it easier for both of us to carry it," Abby said.

Eric nodded and started on the task.

_**Beach...**_

Setting up the light had proved to be a longer task than the three had anticipated. Earlier on after brief discussion it was determined that a new pole was necessary for greatest visibility. Daley scouted for a suitable plank while Nathan started the hole.

"Found one," Daley called as she dragged the sizable branch into view. Walking backwards and slightly hunched over, 'the view' was enough of a distraction for …

"Nathan, you're ruining the hole."

That.

Nathan regained his composure, blushing as he started to undo the damage. "Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly.

"It's okay, lover boy," Taylor mocked. Though there was a difference to this snipe; it was less cruel more simply bemused.

"Okay guys I think I got it deep enough." Nathan declared setting down his shovel.

"Only one way to know for sure," replied Daley.

She carefully slid one end of the branch into position near the hole, and on three Nathan hoisted the opposite end, where it thudded into place.

Taylor dropped the vine she was working on and shoveled in the excess dirt around the pole.

"Whoa, Taylor," Daley said, "No offense, but I am shocked we didn't have to ask."

If Taylor's action was cause for amazement, her words were even more so. She looked up and smiled, "death kind of changes your priorities, you know?"

Nathan then took to steadying the pole. For a moment, Daley looked thoughtful.

"Taylor, go get water, the wet sand will act as fake cement until Lex can devise something better."

The blond nodded and rushed off.

"Nathan, I kinda wanna know... how should we go about things when we get back home?"

"What? Us dating?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah... I mean, my parents said they're not encouraging me going on dates. In fact, they discourage it. Last time I tried dating, they looked for excuses to ground me."

"Oh my... Well, the only thing I can think of right now is for you to avoid your parents-"

"If I do that, they'll ground me because I haven't spent that much time with me. Tried that."

Nathan seemed deep in thought, "Well, I suppose we'll just have to deal with that as it comes. Maybe their opinion changed? I mean, we've been gone for a month. Maybe they'll realize how much their girl is grown. And, hey, if they see that we've been on this island for that long, and haven't done anything with... _risks_... they might trust us. And maybe... just _maybe_... They'll like me."

Nathan stroked his chin, smiling lightly, "I like this train of thought. I'm going to stick with it."

Daley chuckled, before seeing that the pole was starting to shift. She gripped it tightly.

"Keep it steady, Nathan," she warned.

"Mind helping me out?" he asked.

"Can't take Taylor too long, I suppose."

They held the pole, then, together, each lost in fantasies of understanding parents and nice dates.

_**Fireside...**_

"So, Jackson, what's up?" Nathan asked.

"Huh? Oh... dull day."

"I'll say. You've barely said two words. It's almost like you've switched back to how you were back on the first day or so," Nathan replied.

Jackson shrugged. It had been a while since he felt like speaking. Lex was fine, but he couldn't tell the boy. Or... perhaps he could. He looked up to see Abby standing at the edge of the forest. Jackson's breath caught in his throat. She looked at him with her eyebrows raised. Eric stepped out of the clearing a moment later, carrying the small pig. Jackson forced himself to look away and saw Taylor, looking deeply agitated.

Melissa scooted closer to Jackson, and the black-haired boy pushed his hands through his hair in a restless manner.

"You alright?" Melissa asked.

"Probably tired, eh? I saw you walking back from the woods, when I woke up," Nathan said.

Jackson silently cursed Nathan and all of his family. As if his position wasn't suspicious enough if Abby chose to tell everyone. His whole figure began to shake for a moment, before he calmed himself. Eric and Abby carried the pig over to the fire, where they proceeded to prepare.

"Want any?" Abby asked, looking at him, slyly, "You could probably use some _other_ meat in your diet, besides all the... fish."

Some caught the disturbing innuendo, through the strange vocalization in her voice. There's always a tone in someone's voice when they're trying to express something specific, and Abby's voice sounded like it came straight from the gutter. Lex snorted in surprise, his eyes wide. Nathan immediately began rubbing his temples, trying not to imagine Jackson and Melissa alone. Daley groaned in disgust. Taylor caught Abby's strange facial expression and something else clicked in the girl's head. There was no way, though. Melissa blushed and looked away, angrily.

"Fuck off, Abby," Jackson snapped, the primal anger in his eyes.

"Mmm... you'd know plenty about that, now, wouldn't you?"

Jackson stood up and walked off, growling. Daley turned to the grinning girl.

"Abby... I'll say this once_._ Knock it off."

Abby shrugged with a smirk, before she turned back to the pig. She and Eric continued preparing it. The others trickled away, quickly, and it was just the two inmates of the insane asylum, delighted in their feast with all the jailers looking the other way, aside from the unwavering sea, the prisoner of them all.

In their mind, though, the prison was a world in which they could flourish.

_**Forest...**_

Lex sat down uncomfortably next to Jackson. He didn't want to pry, both out of a need to avoid alienating Jackson, and out of a fear he would not like the answer. Still it had been over an hour since lunch and frankly Lex was learning not to want anyone alone for too long.

When it became clear Jackson was perfectly comfortable continuing his schizophrenic scan of his surroundings for entirety, Lex spoke up.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Then what happened earlier. And don't say nothing. You practically attacked me."

The older boy opened his mouth and shut it. He wrestled with his own conscience. Lying would be so easy. He could say he's just gearing up for Eric. Lex knows Eric's a threat. And living with a murder was enough to drive anyone over the edge.

Still he wanted to tell Lex the truth. He knew he could trust the younger boy. Besides he had to get it out before she did more damage.

"It's driving me insane," Jackson's own voice startled him and he jumped at the sound.

"What is?" Lex asked gently.

"Keeping such a secret would tear at anyone, Jackson."

Abby's voice preceded her as she stepped into the clearing.

"This island. I have to get off this island. I have to get away."

Jackson stood and Abby gave a twisted smile.

Abby's smile gave way to menacing laughter and the three parted ways, the empty, hollow sound ringing in their ears.

_**Tent Area...**_

Taylor walked by the fire pit and saw Eric sitting lazily on the log. She stopped in her tracks and looked at him. Abby was nowhere around, strangely.

"Eric...?"

"Yeah, Tay?"

"You... okay?"

He sighed. Well, Taylor was still alright, surely. Sure, she had abandoned him, but maybe _he_ was the one at fault. Everything had gone wrong, since then. Eric looked to the side to see a familiar face. Black, flowing hair, a toga, and vines bedecked his form.

"Shouldn't worry, boy. She reminds me of the Bacchanals when they're not tearing things apart. Talk to her. It'll be good for you."

Eric looked towards Taylor, "A lot's wrong."

Taylor sat down, not expecting this.

"I just... I just hated this group so much. I was a loaf, sure, but I doubt I deserved as much as I got. Then, I make a suggestion, and everyone stomps it. It was the spur of the moment. I wanted to get away. You chose not to go... but I went, anyways... Everything went wrong... Now, I don't know up from down. Every thing's crazy. Blackness consumes me. I've lost you. And I think I've lost hope."

He looked towards the sea. Taylor scooted closer to him.

"Eric... I'm sorry for ever leading you on. I'm... dating someone already. Allyson."

Eric looked at her, sadly, "I know."

Taylor looked at him with her head tilted to the side, "You did?"

"Taylor... you two were inseparable. You were always at each other's houses. You always had this look in your eyes when you looked at each other. And, while you were secretive about it, you can't hide everything. I saw you two kiss."

"Then...?"

"I still like you, Taylor. And I like Abby. But at this point, it could be the insanity talking. I don't know what to do anymore. Where to go. Who to turn to. Whatever happens, happens, and I have, honestly, no control over it. Not anymore."

Taylor lightly shoved him.

"That's not true, Eric. No one's fate is written in stone. Don't give up hope... you can't. Look... I love Allyson. And I could never give her up. I won't. But... I couldn't help it. I hate myself for it. I... kind of like you. I won't go out with you. I can't. But know this... not everyone hates you. So, don't give up on life. If you died... I don't want to think about it."

The man chuckled, "Too true. You have choices, Eric. I can't yet tell you those choices, but your fate is not to die here. Don't wrestle with the Fates. They're vindictive when they want to be... and they control everything, after all."

Eric sighed, looking down, "I suppose you're right. I won't die here."

Taylor and the man smiled.

"Good."

She kissed him on the forehead, "Don't tell Allyson, alright? It's the only kiss you'll get from me."

Eric nodded, "Don't worry. I want you two to be happy... I like it when my friends are happy. I won't ruin it."

Taylor nodded, "Thank you..."

"No," Eric said, "Thank you. You've reminded me... that I can't keep giving up..."

Taylor smiled, standing up, "See ya, Eric. I've gotta grab some water... for the signal light."

Eric nodded, "alright then."

Taylor got the bucket and ran back towards the others. Eric sighed.

"What'd I tell ya? Good for the soul, a girl is. Or guy. Either one's nice," the man said.

"Who are you?"

The man laughed, "Me? I'm just a largely forgotten party-lover who likes ."

Eric looked at him, strangely.

"Well, I can't hang around for too long. Don't worry. This is hardly my last visit."

The man snapped his fingers. The vines further wrapped around him until he was obscured from view. When the vines fell, the man was no longer there. Eric sighed and looked over at the tents.

_**Video Diaries...**_

"Crazy day huh?" He paused for a moment as if expecting the camera to answer, then started up again. "Well not as bad as yesterday, or the day before, or the storm. Okay so maybe this day is more normal than I thought or not normal at all. I don't know." He scooted in closer, before saying "But, I did take a piece of this." He held the cooked pork up for the camera to see before cramming in his mouth. "I said it was above my principles to kill one, not eat it.

"Things seem to be going okay. The runt is working on rescue, Daley's less of a bitch, Melissa hasn't had a meltdown in a while." Her nose scrunched as she settled on a new memory, "except for that poor pig, today was near perfect. Especially that moment with Eric." She gazed dreamy-eyed at the screen. "I am just glad he understands. He's not as bad as everyone says, he's really not."

He looked at the camera, and took a deep breath out before he began. "I haven't told anymore yet, but I am getting scared. Eric's a confirmed murder, Abby's gone feral, and now something up with Jackson. I hope that light works and fast."

_**Campfire...**_

Jackson, ready for bed, stretched wide. He walked close to the water, looking out over the sea.

"Will this nightmare... ever end...?"

He looked down, sighing. No. It wouldn't. He knew about living in waking nightmares. It would take something amazing, some kind of miracle... to fix this. He gritted his teeth.

_Don't even dare to escape from my grip, or my staff __will come down on your skull with all the vengeance of a pissed off monarch. You will not survive._

_Keeping such a secret would tear at anyone, Jackson._

_Take my secret from me, and I'll take your family from you._

_Don't give up, boy._

Jackson was surprised. Amidst all of the threats from Abby, a different voice crept into his head. Don't... give up? He curled his hands up into a fist, his nostrils flaring. What was that about? He punched the air, furiously.

"Hey, Jackson..."

Jackson turned around to see Melissa standing there. He blinked.

"Wh-what's up?" he asked, sounding confident, despite the stutter.

"You've been kind of... distant, today. Quieter than ever. To be honest, Jackson... you're kind of scaring me. I mean, yesterday, you had that fight with Eric. Now, you're retreating from us... Is there something you're not telling us?" Melissa asked.

_See that? Your secrets are hurting the ones you love. Far more than what Abby could ever do on her own..._

Jackson blinked, hearing the voice's suggestion creeping up in his head. He wondered if it was his turn to go insane now.

_**Nah. There's enough crazies in this story.**_

Sighing, Jackson looked at Melissa, who was looking at him, nervously. He hugged her tightly, pressing her head against his chest. Melissa enjoyed the warmth, distracted from her troubles. Jackson's voice whispered gently in her ear.

"There's been something up. I'll be sure to deal with it, soon. You'll probably find out. But there's a threat going on. Don't worry. I'll ask for your help, when the time comes."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

They stayed there, swaying lightly, as the moon began to rise. Finally, Jackson let go, smiling down at her. He kissed her forehead, and she returned a peck on the cheek. It was nice, how almost casual they were about it.

"Go on. I'll stay out here a little while longer," Jackson said.

Melissa nodded and walked off to the tents. Jackson turned around and looked at the ocean, reflecting the stars.

"Hey, uh, Jackson?"

He turned around and saw Melissa, holding up a large, rolled up, set of vines, "Where did these come from? I don't even think I've seen anything like this on the island."

Jackson arched a brow, "Not sure. Ask Lex about it."

Melissa nodded, set down the vines, and walked over to her tent.

Jackson shook his head, looking out towards the water again. He stayed there for a few minutes, until he too went off to sleep, expecting more nightmares.

**End of Chapter Eleven**


	12. The Proverbial Hermes

_**The Proverbial Hermes...**_

_**or...**_

_**The Penultimate...**_

**This isn't a full-blown chapter like the others. Rather, it's a singular scene that I decided to blow up into a chapter so as to get Ch11 up quicker for your enjoyment and so that I could expand upon the explanation in more detail.**

**Chronology issue: Day 22 is when Abby arrived in the canon. In our fanon, she was delayed long enough for Eric to meet up with her. So, Ch1 and Ch2 occurs on Day 22 instead. Since then, approximately a day has been covered with each chapter. So, that means that Ch11 was Day 31.**

_**Approximately 5 Weeks Ago...**_

A boat silently hit the sand. Three figures easily climbed out of the vessel. Two men and a woman carefully stepped onto the beach. The water lapped at their boots, harmlessly. They walked over the beach, looking around. They all had on safety suits, designed to protect against most bugs and hostile predators, such as snakes. Each one had a nametag. The black haired, caucasian man's tag read Ethan. He was shorter than the other man, who had blonde hair, with the nametag reading Rick. The woman brushed away her bright red hair, revealing her nametag, which read Erika.

"Alright, boys, gather as much of the immediate flora you see as you can. Try and detect tracks, the usual. Let's see what's on this island," Erika said.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am," Ethan said, giving a full salute.

"Can it, bro."

Snickering, they went to work. Over an hour went by, and each of the three returned to the boat. They put their samples in a number of ziploc bags and made notes on each of them. A few they couldn't quite identify, but others they could.

"I found some pig tracks," Rick said, holding up his camera, "Got pictures of 'em all right here."

"I saw something that looked incredibly like chicken tracks. I took a few pictures of them, just to be sure," Ethan said.

"That seems... strange. But then, this is the island with Hotel Tango, isn't it? Who knows what was placed here during the war? Some of it could've survived. We'll have to conduct a few experiments to see if they do live here, later. We'll come back later to set up traps," Erika said.

"Well, I've heard that conditions for a hurricane are building up. Cold fronts, heat fronts, storm clouds, the works. It's slow-going, but this island's been predicted to get hit by it. We should swing by after the hurricane," Rick said.

"What would that do for us?" Erika asked.

"A lot, actually. He's right. A hurricane would over-turn a few stones we haven't seen. It might uncover a few organisms for us. Micro-organisms go crazy after their habitat gets disrupted by something like a hurricane," Ethan said.

"When's it supposed to hit?" Erika asked.

"Dunno for sure. In about a month or so. I'll keep my eye on this island, to see when it'll hit," Ethan said.

"Alright. When it hits, we'll head out," Erika said.

The scientists got in their boat and cranked it up. Ethan and Rick high-fived, as they sped off. A good find, all in all, it seemed. And there was definitely the opportunity for more, in just a month.

**End of Chapter Twelve**


	13. Libera Me From Hell

_**"Libera Me" From Hell...**_

_**or...**_

_**The Last Day...**_

**Do the impossible, see the invisible. ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH!**

**Note: Lillies in the Field is not an actual manga. I couldn't think of any manga where a situation like that happened (and I read To-Love-Ru, so that's saying something), so I made one up.**

**

* * *

**_**Video Diaries...**_

"I am worried about him, Jackson. He said something happened. He's holding another secret and this one looks even harder to deal with." She swiped at a piece struggling to nail it behind her ear. "But he promised he'd let me help when the time is right, and I trust in that. I just hope I am prepared for what's to come."

"Jackson is mine. That's all there is to it. He's under my thumb, with no room to move. His friends... feh. There are no such things as friends. Eric is a mate. Sperm. Friends are useless. There is no reason for them to believe him. He's shackled, and I'll keep him just like that, until he's no longer useful to me."

"Is it just me or is everything seeming a little off? We're getting farther from our humanity everyday. Captain Russell died and Lex was right: we had forgotten. We didn't even bury him. I've been trying to keep it all together as leader, but I just don't know what needs to be done anymore. But I do know we'll make it out. I'll never stop believing that."

_**Campfire...**_

Breakfast was rushed and quiet. With a few of the campers up before dawn to make video diaries, everyone seemed focus on the day ahead. The lack of general conversation was lost on no one, as worry consumed most of the group, their reasons as diverse as their personalities. Leftover pork eaten, Abby addressed them before Daley had a chance.

"Eric and I will hunt," she said, slinking off. Eric scrambled after her like a small boy fearing being left behind in a store.

"Okay then. Nathan and I will fish. Jackson and Melissa can gather fruit." Nathan raised his hand and Daley chuckled, clearly amused at the school like display. "Yes, Nathan?"

Nathan looks down sheepishly, "I would like to request to go with Jackson." Daley let out a deep breath and shook her head.

"Fine. Mel, do you mind coming fishing with me?"

"I'd love to."

"Great. So. Jory, Taylor, and Ian, you can be together on the combined fire-water duty… unless there's a problem with that too."

Ian answered for the three of them, "That'll be fine, Daley."

"And what about me?" asked Lex, the last to receive instructions.

"Get someone to pull down the light and get it charged along with the rest of the batteries, then continue taking inventory. Alright, let's head out everyone."

_**Forest...**_

The two hunters crept through the woods, looking around with deadly intent. Their eagle-like scan of the woods turned up nothing, somehow. Still, they continued searching. For over half an hour, they searched, carefully and cautiously, with nothing turning up. Finally, giving up for the time being, they sat down on a log.

"Why the hell aren't we finding anything?" Eric asked.

"Like I know," Abby growled.

They sat there, gradually getting more and more aggravated.

"Look, Abby, I just want to know... why'd ya do it?" Eric asked, looked at her.

"What? Fuck you?"

"Yeah."

"Why not?"

"You just never seemed like you'd go after me."

"Look, are you complaining that I gave it to you?"

"Not at all... by any means. Just... curious."

"Don't worry yourself about it. You keep hunting, but off in that direction. I'll be in the other direction. Come back every now and then. I'll be waiting on the log, when I've found something or given up," Abby said.

"...Alright," Eric said, standing up.

Abby arched an eyebrow. Eric followed her gaze, downwards, for a moment, before looking back up, embarrassed.

"I'm into the dominating types. Sue me."

Abby let out a snort, though Eric couldn't tell if it was amusement or disgust. Sighing, he walked off in the direction she instructed. Abby pondered what was in order for the day.

Oh, right.

"Where was that fruit gathering place again...? Ah, yes..."

Fuck up _Jackson's_ day.

_**Campfire...**_

Taylor had struggled with the strainer all morning. The shirt had slipped or come loose a couple of times, but she figured it must be normal and thought little of it, unaware that the threads were too weak to handle 'the strain' they were under, as it were.

The overstretched shirt finally gave way with a snap, sending a rush of boiling water over Taylor's right hand. With a howl, she dropped the straining bucket into the flame, which smoldered out.

"Taylor, are you alright?" Ian asked while Jory ran to get the first aid kit.

Jory returned and set the kit open on the sand. With her good hand, Taylor fished out the burn cream and dabbed it on carefully, using little and wincing with each touch.

"Maybe you should use more," Jory suggested.

Taylor shook her head. "Someone else may need some later."

Ian sat up slightly and chimed in, "Jory's right. That doesn't look good"

"Speaking of not looking good, your leg is...," Jory stopped, feeling horrible about finishing the sentence.

"Looking worse?" Ian asked, and Jory nodded gravely.

"Not to mention the smell," added Taylor, tactlessly.

Her comment confirmed something the couple had ignored: Ian's flesh was literally rotting away on his bones. Handing the tube of burn cream back to Jory, Taylor found the bandaging tape. She started the roll with her teeth and asked Jory to pull it taunt while she wound it crisscross over her damaged skin. "You can do the same for Ian."

"Huh? But... I can't..."

"What? It's not like you'll see anything you won't see later."

"No. It's just. I-" Jory faltered, as heat rushed to her face.

"Go on. I'll leave you two alone. Remember: one direction, work down, twist, and go up the other way. Pull tight and tuck underneath."

After a moment she added, "have fun," before going as promised.

Ian smiled warmly as she left, "There's no need to be nervous. I promise I won't make anything of this. Even though you are gorgeous when you blush."

Jory moved over towards him and set to work, and efficiently rebandaged the limb, before finally sliding a pair of fresh pants onto Ian.

A short silence followed and Ian broke it, "Thank you. That feels a lot better."

"We should have done it sooner."

"No worries," he patted the space next to him, "pull up some sand."

Jory obeyed and scooted in next to him, resting her head on his chest.

_**Forest...**_

Nathan plucked free another fruit, before speaking up, "This would be a lot less painful if you said something once a while."

"If you wanted a chatterbox, you should have stayed with Daley," Jackson replied, making it clear his silence was intentional.

"I know."

"Fine. So why did you decide to come with me anyway?"

"Honestly?"

"That would be refreshing."

Nathan stopped and turned to look at Jackson, underscoring the weight of his statement. "I'm worried about you, man."

"My advice? Don't be."

Arms full, the two boys rounded back in mutual silence. Ten feet from camp, there was a slight rustling through the trees. In response, Jackson lunged forward, dropping his edible cargo and narrowly missing the oncomer, Lex.

The boy looked shaken but managed to speak, "I only came to ask about fruit!"

A day's worth of worry stress and guilt began to seep out of the boy. "What did I do wrong?" he demanded, starting to sniffle and running off.

"Okay, Jackson. That's it. I am all for respecting your space, but you just made Lex cry. This ends now. What happened?"

Jackson, still dumbstruck, his mouth agape, shook his head back and forth. "I never meant to.. you have to understand how important..." He struggled, trying desperately to find a way to start the explanation.

"Abby fucked Eric," he said after a moment.

Nathan almost laughed. "That's what this is about?"

"No, you don't understand. I caught her... I caught her trying to eliminate it. She said-"

"if you told anyone... then you'd be the father," Abby finished for him. "That's right Jackson, and it still stands. I suggest you get ready for your big announcement, daddy dearest."

Jackson took a step towards Abby, and Nathan stepped between them.

"Abby, I know the truth. I won't let you take down Jackson in your sick little game. He's right. You need help."

Abby reached over and stroked Nathan's face, "Careful, Nathan. I can spread two lies as easily as one. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Nathan took a half step back, and Abby laughed. "That's what I thought. See you at dinner, Jackson."

_**Oceanside...**_

Daley held her fishing pole up, then snapped it forward. The line shot out and landed, with a light plop, in the water. She held it firmly, keeping it steady. Melissa did an imitation of the maneuver, though hers didn't quite go as far. She sighed.

"Don't worry. For a first cast, it's not bad," Daley said, "Especially with these makeshift fishing poles."

Melissa nodded, looking a touch more hopeful, "That's good to know."

"What do you think the boys are up to?" Daley asked.

"Hrmmm... it's strange. Why did Nathan ask to go off with Jackson instead of hanging out with you?" Melissa asked.

"That's a... that's a new way to look at it," Daley wondered, "It's gotta be bad."

"He's worn a skirt twice, and I've seen several instances of his feminine side...," Melissa said, starting to trail off, a smile on her face.

"Ha ha," Daley snarked, playfully punching Melissa in the shoulder, "He's not gay."

Melissa rubbed her shoulder, and smirked. "No. Daley I am afraid you'll just need to face the fact he's in the closet and your his cover."

"Because Nathan shagging Jackson is really the image you want in your head when you sleep tonight?"

Melissa frowned, before snorting, "Given all that yaoi manga, she reads, I bet Jory wouldn't mind."

The two looked at each other and burst into uproarious laughter. They high-fived, still giggling, before turning back to the sea, where there lines drifted out. Occasionally, one would snicker and the laughter would rise once more, before settling down again. This went on in a lovely, friendly silence for about twenty minutes, when Lex arrived.

"Hey, Lex. Got the notes?" Daley asked, hearing her brother.

"Light and batteries are charging well. Ehh... the fruit seems... fine," Lex said.

Daley looked at Lex, who seemed off.

"You alright?"

"Fine... I'm fine..."

Daley sighed, "Alright... If you're sure."

Lex nodded, "I'm fine, Dae... promise. I'll go grab what we need for lunch."

"Alright, bro. No pressure, okay?" Daley said, mussling up his hair.

He smiled and nodded, then rushed off.

"Lex is such a good kid... We owe him a lot," Melissa said.

"Which is exactly why I am gonna find out what's on his mind. And I bet either Jackson or Nathan know what's up. He checked in with us before he went off to check out the fruit. He wasn't... startled like that. And that kid really needs to work on hiding that he's been crying, or else he needs to make sure he _never_ learns to hide it. Something's the matter, and I intend to find out," Daley said, "No one messes with Lex while I'm around."

Melissa nodded, feeling pleased she wasn't the one in Daley's line of fire.

_**Campfire...**_

Taylor had returned earlier and she and Jory were in a bit of a mild chuckling frenzy when Melissa and Daley arrived. Ian, however, was not so amused. "Let me guess... male jokes?" Daley asked.

"Are there any other kind?" replied Taylor, before she collapsed in another fit of laughter.

Melissa had picked a fish and was about to decapitate it, when Daley stopped her. "No. Don't. We'll get to that later."

Melissa looked puzzled. "Wait? Why?"

"Because we need to eat light. I want to go for another group swim after lunch. It'll be a great way to release all the tension around here. Besides, chores are done for the day if we save the fish."

Jory cast a sideways glance over at Ian. "I don't think I'll go…"

Ian sat up. "Nonsense. Jory, you've been tethered to me day and night. Go on, have a little fun. I'll be fine for a couple of hours."

"It's not just you," Jory said, "I haven't done anything around here to help out."

Daley stood up. "Then I order you, Jory, to hang up the light tonight after you come swimming"

Jory grinned, "Order accepted, sir."

But the jovial mood did not last for long, as Abby appeared, dragging Eric in tow. "We won't be staying, nor swimming. Have your fun. We have survival to attend to." She shot the group a cold glance before retreating back to the trees as quietly as she had entered.

Nathan and Jackson passed the hunting crew on the way towards camp.

"How did that go?" Jackson asked, an uncharacteristic lack of confidence to his voice.

"Normally," Melissa began.

"Why? Is there something we should know Jackson?" accused Daley.

"No. Nothing at all." Jackson gave her a small smile, which sealed that his ability to lie under pressure was still very much intact. "So where's Lex?"

"He's in the tent, napping until dinner, apparently someone upset him." Daley clenched her teeth through the last few words, trying to reign in her aggravation.

Nathan could sense the stress building in an attempt and in genuine hunger he spoke up. "So, where's the fish?"

Jory chose to reply. "Daley has decided to save it, she's called for a group swim. You guys game?"

Nathan beamed. "Yeah we'd-"

Jackson interrupted. "Actually, Nathan and I have something to discuss, so we'll catch up later. Enjoy your swim, ladies."

Ian asked the question on everyone's mind. "What's up with them?"

Few knew but all would find out soon.

_**Cave...**_

"Alright, Jackson. What's the plan?"

"She'll try to spread lies. I wondered, for a bit, what's her gameplan. Why would she be willing to pull you into it? It's obvious. She thinks we'll blame each other," Jackson said.

"She's insane."

"Exactly. That's our winning point. She's just crazy enough to think that we can't work together. She think we won't figure to rightfully state: she had sex with Eric, not us. Hopefully... the others'll believe us."

"Why wouldn't they?" Nathan asked.

"Look... I'm the outside-"

"Bullshit. You _were_ the outsider. Then we forcefully abducted you and made you one of us. You're one of us. Everyone has seen that Abby's crazy. Melissa, Daley, Lex, they'll trust us automatically. Taylor might side with Eric, if he says we did it. But frankly, I find that _super_ unlikely."

They clapped their hands together.

"Abby's tried to threaten us and threaten our family. It's time we took her down a notch," Jackson said.

_**Oceanside...**_

Melissa and Daley laughed, splashing at each other. They had already held a hold-your-breath contest (Melissa won) and a swimming contest (Daley won). Still no sign of Jory. Taylor seemed plenty amused to sit on the sand and watch them.

"I... I think there's a problem...!" came a voice from the bushes.

"What, too big?" Daley asked.

"Uhh... yeah... it won't stay on, right!"

"It's just us girls. Don't be shy."

"But..."

"Let me have a look," Taylor called.

"Uhhh..."

"Look, I'm not the bitch I used to be. Don't worry. I won't make fun of you. And I promise not to say or do anything to make you feel uncomfortable when we're behind the bushes. You're taken, I'm taken, this won't work out like that beach chapter of Lillies in the Field. You know, where Ami and Kiara first-"

"I know what they did! I read that manga twice, and I've been an avid Amiara shipper, now stop it!"

"Okay? I promise it won't be like that."

The bushes remained very, very silent, before letting out a meek "okay". Melissa and Daley grinned, snickering, while Taylor went behind to help her out. They had a few jokes between themselves, for a few moments, which resulted in a few playful slaps.

Finally, Jory walked out from behind the bushes, everything perfectly fine. Taylor seemed to grin, while Jory blushed profusely.

"That was a new pair for her, and she didn't know it was _supposed_ to be tied in the front," Taylor said, chuckling.

"Sorry..."

"No, it's quite alright. A story for you to tell Ian. Guys like hearing about their girls' bisexual moments," Taylor said, "So long as it's nothing too much. And I know Ian a little bit. He won't mind."

Jory blushed profusely, "You said you wouldn't-"

"Only when we're behind the bushes. Loopholes," Taylor said with a smile.

The blonde proceeded to run and Jory gave chase. Laughter rang out across the beach as they dove into the water.

_**Campfire...**_

A young boy stepped out of the sole tent, looking somewhat tired yet rejuvenated. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to get the sleep out of them. He walked over to the small pile of fruit and picked up the banana, which he then peeled and began to eat. Lex sat down to eat, slowly.

Jackson and Nathan walked into the campfire area, trudgingly. They picked up some fruit as well and sat down.

"Hey, Lex, I wanted to apologize... for earlier..."

Lex nodded. Jackson looked at him, pleadingly, "Can you forgive me?"

He nodded again, "Everything's getting to me..."

The boy looked up and Jackson saw his haunted eyes. Nathan's eyes widened at the sight. Jackson recognized the look. Everything about the young boy was so much like himself. Haunted by death.

Lex stood, "I'll be going back to the tent... sleepy..."

"I understand," Jackson said.

"I'll tell Daley for ya," Nathan said.

Lex nodded and went off to bed.

"Let's... do something to help out," Nathan said, "Before we get into the water."

"Well, there's some fish to clean... let's have at it."

_**Forest...**_

_SKLORCH!_

The pig, trapped by the spear throw, squealed in pain as its life fluids drained out of it. Eric rushed up to it, kicked it in the head, then drove his spear straight into its neck. A final squeal escaped its lips, and then it was no more. Eric stared at the beast, his heart pounding in his chest and his breathing rough and ragged. He looked at Abby, strangely.

She approached him with feline grace, lithely stepping over each stick with ease, barely looking down. He stayed silent, looking dead at her. She gently slid her hand along his cheek. Strange... he was clearly on an adrenaline high. But he wasn't reverting. Was he passed that part?

"Too stunned to say anything?"

"Oh, shut up and kiss me."

Their lips met with all the animalistic passion and fire they had displayed in killing the beast.

_**Campfire...**_

Returning from the ocen the girls took different approaches. Melissa wandered slowly, enjoyed the slight breeze as the day began to cool, gazing upwards to the expansive dark sky. Her thoughts floated idly and the bliss of the moment was enough to make see thus island as home, really and truly for the first time.

Daley and Jory rushed to grab towels and rushed to check on their "men". Daley gently roused a blurry-eyed Lex from his nap, and Jory planted a fierce kiss on Ian. Staring at the couple then one could have expected them to be separated for months instead of a few short hours.

Taylor laughed as she wrung out her hair, "I really made a mistake leaving my girlfriend at home."

Ian arched an eyebrow "Girlfriend, really?"

"Yuri's hot," Jory added.

"Allyson di Angelo, why?"

"That explains why she didn't want to…" Ian caught himself. "I mean, how nice for you, Taylor."

"Didn't want to what, Ian?"

Taylor turned red and began sputtering barely able to get out words in the laughter. "You're…You're the one…the one who asked her out to the last dance. I can't… can't believe it."

"Have your fun. Har, har."

Jory obviously didn't feel the discussion was closed, but was too interrupted by the arrival of the others, including Jackson and Nathan, to broach it further.

"We missed the swim?" Nathan ventured.

"You did," Daley replied coolly, "Mind telling us all what you were up to, Jackson?"

Nathan spoke up again, "Well, for one thing, we recently cleaned the fish."

He handed him to Melissa who began to spear them and set to cooking.

"Jackson, I am waiting for an explanation."

This time Ian stepped in, "Daley, maybe you should back off. From what I've heard, Jackson has had nothing but good motives."

"Ian, this is not your place to step in," reprimanded Jory.

"She's right, Ian. We've all seen that Jackson's clearly capable of taking care of his own battles. Or have you suddenly been rendered mute, street boy?"

Daley's anger had the better of her now. Though she had rarely been threatened in her upper class world, losing her mother had given her the same sense of territory. Her brother had been hurt, and she needed to protect him.

Jackson tightened his fists, and he spoke through gritted teeth, "You're taking this somewhere you won't want it go, Daley. Drop the insults."

"Is that a threat?"

"More like a friendly warning."

As the tension escalated, Abby and Eric had arrived. The former chose now to make her presence known. "Nice job, Jackson. You're doing such a wonderful job destroying your own life, perhaps I won't need to let the group in on our little secret as well.

"No, Abby. This ends now."

"Lex, go to the beach," ordered Nathan.

"What about dinner?" asked Lex.

"Melissa will bring you some and let you come back when we're done. If you trust me at all, just go now."

Lex ran off as he was told. Daley watched until he reached the water's edge before turning back to the group. "Nathan, what's this about?"

The African boy glanced over at Jackson who spoke.

"Go on Abby, tell them. They will either believe me or you. If I have lost their trust, then you're right. This is all my own doing."

_**Ocean...**_

"Are we going to the usual place on the island?" Rick asked.

"Of course," Erika said.

"Hey... what's that light over there?" Ethan asked.

"It's probably a reflection of the sun," Erika said.

"Too bright for that. It's man-made," Ethan replied.

"Let's check it out."

_**Campfire...**_

"Well, daddy, what do you think we should name your son? Or will it be a girl?" Abby asked, looking directly at Jackson, "The pregnancy's too early to even guess, really."

A heavy silence struck the islanders, with only Nathan, Jackson, and Abby looking on with straight faces. Abby with her classic smirk and the boys with stony glares.

"Jackson...?" Melissa asked.

"It's not true," Nathan immediately said.

"Oh, it's entirely possible it's yours," Abby said, "I mean, there was that party three days before we left. Not that you'd remember. You were drunk thirty minutes in."

"Nathan!" Daley shouted.

"You and I were at the party. And none of them. I remember that _very_ clearly. I didn't take a drop."

"That's bullshit, Abby, you were a saint, back then, and you fucking know it," Jackson said.

"Oh, that's true... I may very well have been the little saint. But I've been very naughty, lately."

"Abby...?"

"I mean, you saw that yourself, out in the jungle... all on our own... after you and Eric fought. How long was it? Fifteen minutes? Thirty? Ohhhh... it was so... _sweet._ It's a wonder all the things you learned out there on the streets," Abby said, steam practically coming off of her voice.

"You're such a liar, Abby!" Nathan shouted.

"Jackson, you bastard!" Daley shouted, "Melissa trusted you!"

Jackson whirled towards them all, his arms out to the side, his palms open wide. There was no hate here. Only love and compassion. A tear streamed down his cheek, as he opened up his soul before them, his voice weak and shaky.

"Here before you stands Cody Jackson, a boy brought up on the lessons of the streets, the hate of the people, and the care of his mother. I am guilty of loving God, my mother, and Melissa. Do you find me guilty of being an adulterous swine, who chose to fornicate with Abby Fujimoto? Or do you find her guilty of bearing false witness. Melissa... you promised me you would help me when I asked you to. I ask you now, to trust and believe in me."

Melissa nodded, "I believe."

"I believe!" Ian shouted, pumping his fist up.

"I believe," Jory whispered, looking at Jackson with admiration.

They all looked to Daley for a moment.

"...I ...believe."

"That's right!" Nathan shouted, putting his hand on Jackson's shoulder, "He ain't the father."

Nathan whirled and pointed to Eric, "He is!"

Eric remained quiet the entire time, staring at Abby. He didn't react to Nathan pointing or any other action.

"...See, that explanation makes sense," Jory said.

"I told you they had sex out there," Ian said.

"...What?" Abby growled.

"And on top of that," Jackson said, "After the fight, she was trying to abort herself with a stick."

All eyes turned towards Abby.

"...oh shit," Daley said.

"Abby..." Melissa whispered.

"You tried to kill... your own baby?"

Eric fell to ground, grovelling at Abby's feet, "Why, Abby?! Why would you do this to me... You lead me. You helped me. You gave me strength through the bad times! And for what...!? So you could tear my heart out? Did you just think Jackson was better than me?"

Abby kicked Eric away and spat where he had grovelled, "No, you silly shit, it was a control method. I had to get him under control. You're _much_ better at surviving than anyone else on this island. That's why I chose you in the first place, and why I had you again earlier, to make sure it took."

"Abby, you're sick," Daley said.

A beast appeared at Abby's feet. A tiger-like creature, with black fur and white stripes. It curled around them, purring gently. At Daley's voice, its ears perked up.

"You need help."

The beast looked up and saw Melissa. It growled, lowly, trying to warn her. Abby's fierce glare matched it, and Melissa shrunk back.

"You tried to take away a life. That's everything you stood against!" Jory said.

It gave a small roar, the final warning. Abby's muscles tensed, ready to fight or bolt.

"Abby, you're finished," Jackson said.

"You took away my secret, and I told you I'd take away your family."

The beast began to prowl about, inspecting its prey.

"But it seems that they won't let go... So I'll just have to take you..."

The beast curled back.

"AWAY FROM YOUR FAMILY!"

And sprung.

Abby shot forward, her claws extended. Jackson stood his ground and ducked beneath her first swipe. She tried to claw downwards, but the boy dropped down to the ground, then kicked her legs out from under her. She fell back with a cracking sound and moaned out loud. Jackson rolled to the side and got to his feet.

A new figure appeared in the fray, a winged one with an aura of power about him. He whispered words of confidence and strength in Jackson's ear.

"Abby, please stop."

Abby leaped to her feet, growling. She rushed forward again, but Jackson grabbed both of her arms this time. She tried to kick, but his foot blocked her off.

"This is pointless, stupid, and desperate. You must stop."

The creature bit and snapped and hissed at the angel, who never yielded.

She tried to headbutt him, but he used his grab on her arms to push her back. The girl lost her balance and she fell again. Her head smacked against a heavy, packed set of wet sand mixed with rocks. She woozily tried to stand up, before she collapsed. Jackson caught her, and set her down by Eric.

"Abby... you okay... Abby... my love... Abby..."

Lex rushed over to the others, excited.

"What's got him so-" Jory started.

Everyone turned to see three forms, all of which seemed very confused.

"Ummmm... is this a bad time?" Ethan asked.

"Three years from now is a bad time," Nathan said, "Right now... is perfect."

"Flight 29 Down. Is this rescue?" Daley asked.

"Oh! Flight 29 Down. I heard about you guys. By the stars! You're them!" Erika screamed.

Rick and Ethan high-fived.

"So, you guys need a bigger boat? Call Zeus, we got ten Ogygians," Erika said.

"Got it," Rick said, picking up the radio.

"Rescue?" Jackson asked.

"That's the most beautiful word in the english language," Nathan said.

Daley wrapped her arms around him, "You said it! Lex, get over here! You guys, too!"

They made a compromise. Every huddled around Ian and announced the big group hug.

"To home!" they shouted.

The tiger-like creature prowled around Abby, staring at the angel hovering near Jackson. The black-haired man appeared, beside Eric. He chuckled, looking at the boy.

"To home, then," he said, raising his wineglass.

* * *

_**...Melreincarn's Final Thoughts...**_

_**It's strange to think it's come to an end. Survival churned at the back of my mind whenever other thoughts idled, the scene stretched out holographically before me, scribbled onto notebooks old fliers or furiously typed away into the comp. It's made me a better thinker, certainly a better writer, but most importantly, I was but a mere wide-eyed spectator slowly watching their lives play out. It's been a long time since I completed anything lengthy and I thank Asta and the 29ers for allowing me the honor of the ride.**_

_**...Asta's Final Thoughts...**_

_**It feels... strange, not being able to work on Survival, anymore. It was a blast, and I'm glad I got to do it. It was quite the experiment with insanity. Eric's killing Russel was planned from the start, but somehow took me five chapters to get to, and 8 chapters to finish it from there, with new and more exciting twists happening along the way. Heh. I'm very thankful to the reviewers for giving me a good smile with every review. This story was great fun, and introduced me to Melreincarna, which was probably even better. To my lovely co-author, who made this story twenty times better.**_

_**But, hey... I didn't say "The End", did I? But of course... Why would I? It's not. The Island is behind them, and the 29ers are moving on. The tale of Eric's Survival is finished, but their lives are far from over.**_

_**How Far We've Come by CerberAsta and Melreincarna**_

_**The 29ers are away from the Island, but its presence lingers all around them. Choking them like a tangible thing, it threatens their lives with the corruption it has imprinted upon their souls, with the world they have returned to only tightening the noose.**_


End file.
